블룸버그 뉴스 South Korea's Moon Becomes Kim Jong Un's Top Spokesman at UN

링크 : South Korea's Moon Becomes Kim Jong Un's Top Spokesman at UN

By Youkyung Lee
2018년 9월 26일 오전 9:38 GMT+9 Updated on 2018년 9월 26일 오후 12:02 GMT+9

While Kim Jong Un isn’t attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, he had what amounted to a de facto spokesman singing his praises: South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

In speeches and television appearances, Moon -- who has held three summits this year with Kim -- portrayed the North Korean autocrat as a normal world leader who wants to bring economic prosperity to his people. He made no mention of atrocities that prompted President Donald Trump to call North Korea a “cruel dictatorship” during his State of the Union address in January.

“You must have watched on the TV, but based on what I experienced, Kim Jong Un is young, very candid and polite, treating the elders with respect,” Moon told an audience at the Council on Foreign Relations. “I believe that Kim Jong Un is sincere and he will abandon nuclear weapons in exchange of economic development.”

Moon is looking to convince skeptics in the U.S. and around the world that North Korea is now serious about wanting to give up its nuclear weapons after decades of provocation and failing to deliver on promises.

"Moon knows Kim has not yet met U.S. expectations and is worried about whether the U.S.-North Korea process can get started and stay on track," said Scott Snyder, a senior fellow for Korea Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Dramatic Shifts
Besides preventing a war on the Korean Peninsula, Moon has a lot at stake politically: His approval rating rebounded after last week’s summit, helping offset a recent drop due to a struggling economy.

Compared to last year, the general attitude toward North Korea at the UN General Assembly has shifted dramatically. In 2017, North Korea had just completed its sixth nuclear test, and the Security Council imposed new sanctions against the North’s provocation. Trump called Kim a “rocket man on a suicide mission.”

This year, Trump thanked Kim for “his courage and the steps he has taken” in a much more subdued speech. While North Korea’s foreign minister is set to address the UN on Saturday, Moon was already busy making the case for the country.

‘Please Trust’
“Kim Jong Un said that he is well aware that a lot of people in the world still cannot trust North Korea or think North Korea is deceiving or trying to buy time, even after it took several steps to denuclearize,” Moon said. “But what can North Korea gain from deceiving or buying time?” Moon said quoting Kim.

Moon Jae-in with Kim Jong Un in Samjiyon, North Korea on Sept. 20.Photographer: Pyeongyang Press Corps/Pool via Getty Images

Moon more than likely is also targeting a more narrow audience, as Stephen Noerper, Senior Director for Policy at Korea Society, sees it, as Moon’s agenda involves another significant player on the world stage.

“I don’t think of Moon as Kim’s spokesperson, but rather a leader who realizes he needs both Kim and Trump amenable to agreement,” said Noerper. Moon’s approach “risks accusations of compromise, but in reality is geared toward effectively managing two outsized egos.” 


In Pyongyang last week, North Korea said it would dismantle its missile-test site and a launching pad in the presence of international experts. It added that it would be willing to take further steps to end its nuclear programs such as closing its nuclear test site, if the U.S. takes unspecified corresponding measures and honors the agreement signed in June at the first-ever summit between leaders of North Korea and the U.S.

Read more: How Kim Jong Un May Have Kickstarted Nuclear Talks

Critics panned the latest agreement between the Koreas, saying it lacked any specifics and raised a host of questions. While Moon said it’s "natural" to be suspicious of Kim’s motivation given the North’s past failures to live up to its denuclearization agreements, he added that this time it was "completely different."

"This time, please trust North Korea’s sincerity, Kim said," Moon said, adding that the North Korean leader agreed to live broadcasting at the summits. "By live broadcasting all the process of the summit, I tried to have people around the world see Chairman Kim Jong Un and what kind of person he is with their eyes."

(Updates to add analyst comment in 10th and 11th paragraphs.)
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국회에 난장판을 만든 자유한국당 나경원 원내대표가 인용한 문제의 기사.. 블룸버그 이유경 특파원의 기사입니다.

2018년 9월 26일..문재인 대통령이 유엔 총회에서 발표한 내용을 바탕으로 쓰여진 기사입니다.

UN 총회에서 문재인대통령의 발언이 마치 북한의 대변인것처럼 보인다는 기사입니다.

하지만 미국측(Stephen Noerper)은 문재인 대통령이 북한의 대변인이라 생각하지 않고 있으며 타협에 대해 트럼프대통령과 김정은 한쪽의 일방적이 아닌 둘 모두의 동의가 필요함을 알고 있는 지도자라고 생각한다는 내용입니다.

해석의 여지는 있겠지만 기자의 눈에는 문재인대통령이 북한 김정은의 대변인으로 보인다는 내용이고 미국측에서는 그렇지 않다는 의견이 있다는 내용도 있습니다.