Moon says he will push for independent travel to the North

"(The government) will make efforts to help those who have their hometowns in North Korea can join their families before it's too late," said South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday in his new year’s message. Moon has reconfirmed his will to work on resuming tours to North Korea despite Pyongyang’s lukewarm response.

“Some people miss their family even more during holidays,” said Moon in a video message via his social networking service account ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. The Ministry of Unification announced Monday to prioritize a reunion of separated families at Mount Kumgang and in Kaesong in pushing for independent travel to North Korea. The U.S. is arguing that inter-Korean cooperation scheme should go hand-in-hand with progresses in denuclearization, but the South Korean government has been maintaining its stance to push for independent travel to the North.

The president also reiterated his pledge to make "tangible changes" in the lives of the people this year. “The Republic of Korea is a small but strong nation," Moon said. "It has overcome whatever the difficulty is and has developed enough to lead the world in many fields." His remarks shows his optimism once again on improving economic indices this year even though there are controversies over his perception towards the economy.


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