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By Pyeongyang Press Corps

President Moon Jae-in addressed 150,000 Pyeongyang citizens on Sept. 19, the second day of his visit to the North Korean capital for the 2018 Inter-Korean Summit Pyeongyang.

He said, ”Today I propose we move forward toward the big picture of peace by which the past 70 years of hostility can be eradicated, allowing us to become one again.”

President Moon delivered the speech after watching a mass gymnastics performance of “Brilliant Fatherland” at the May Day Stadium in Pyeongyang alongside North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un.

“Chairman Kim Jong Un and I met in Panmunjeom on April 27 and shared a heartfelt embrace,” said the president.

“By developing the inter-Korean relationship in an all-embracing and groundbreaking manner, we firmly pledged to reconnect Korea’s arteries and veins and to hasten a future of common prosperity and reunification on our own terms,” he said.

“Moreover, it was agreed that President Moon Jae-in would visit Pyeongyang this fall, just as I am doing now,” he added.

“Today, Chairman Kim Jong Un and I have agreed to concrete measures to completely eliminate the fear of war and the risk of armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula,” said President Moon.

Emphasizing their pledge, he said, “We affirmed our pledge to turn our beautiful territory — from Baekdusan Mountain to Hallasan Mountain — into a land of permanent peace, free from nuclear weapons and nuclear threats, and to bequeath it to our future generations.”

“Chairman Kim Jong Un and I will firmly clasp the hands of 80 million Koreans in both the North and the South and move forward to create our homeland anew,” said the president.

“Let us all march together on our journey into a new future.”

President Moon talked about his impressions of Pyeongyang, too, by saying, “During my stay in Pyeongyang, I have witnessed the city’s remarkable progress.”

“Deep in my heart, I have recognized what kind of country Chairman Kim and his compatriots in the North want to build,” said the president.
“Our people love peace, and our people must live together,” said President Moon, strongly emphasizing the importance of peace.

This is the first time that a South Korean president has ever delivered a live address to the North Korean public. The whole audience gave a standing ovation with many cheers and shouts. President Moon’s speech was initially planned to be made before the mass gymnastics performance, and to be one or two minutes long, but it turned out to last more than seven minutes and was given after the show.