South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday said North Korea is nearing a “red line” with its nuclear weapons program and crossing it would invite “unbearable” international punishment. 

Holding a press conference at the presidential office in Seoul to mark his 100th day in office, the leader also sought to reassure South Koreans that there would not be war on the Korean Peninsula and that US military action against the North is not possible without Seoul’s consent. 
 
Asked about the North Korean threat, President Moon repeated his earlier position that there should be no war on the Korean Peninsula.
 

As for the definition of “red line” regarding North Korea, Moon said that Pyongyang would cross the red line if the regime weaponizes nuclear warheads and ICBM.

Moon said inter-Korean dialogue should resume, but there is no need to hurry. North Korea should stop additional provocation before any dialogue resumes, Moon said. 

He said that when such conditions are met, he would consider sending an envoy to Pyongyang. 

Asked about US President Trump's latest comments about Pyongyang, Moon reaffirmed that South Korea and the US share the same position on North Korea.

“The United States and President Donald Trump have agreed to discuss any options it may take with South Korea regardless of what kind of options it takes.”

Both countries are trying to bring North Korea to the negotiation table to resolve the current crisis, Moon said.

On the appointments of top-ranking officials, Moon said his selections are balanced. Some of his appointees for top posts in the government stepped down due to past wrongdoings or scandals. 

In previous administrations, there were some attempts to manipulate state-run media, Moon said, adding he would make efforts to set up a system to ensure the independence of the media. 

The president said that increasing taxes would be considered only after a public consensus is achieved in favor of such a measure. 

Stabilizing the real estate market is crucial because people face “crazy rent,” Moon said. The Moon administration recently took measures to tame the overheating real estate market, but some question whether more steps should be taken to cool down the market. 

As for the questions posed by a Japanese journalist about “comfort women” and forced labor issues, Moon said that the comfort women issue was not discussed in the past agreement between South Korea and Japan. He, however, stressed that past historical issues should not hinder future relations between the two countries. 

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)