S. Korea calls for world parliaments' support for peace efforts

BELGRADE, Oct. 14 (Yonhap) -- National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang called Monday for parliaments across the globe to support ongoing efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. Moon made the remarks during his keynote speech at a general debate of the 141st assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Belgrade, Serbia. "The Korean Peninsula is the very place where promises and agreements based on trust and the institutionalization for the establishment of a solid peace are eagerly called for," Moon told the global organization of national parliaments. "We ask for your firm support and cooperation to ensure that much patience and efforts that have been made for the denuclearization of the peninsula and the establishment of peace will bear fruit," he added. His remarks came amid growing uncertainty over the prospects of working-level negotiations between the United States and North Korea over the latter's nuclear disarmament and the former's compensation in return. Earlier this month in Sweden, Washington and Pyongyang held their first nuclear talks since February's summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi collapsed due to a failure to bridge differences. But soon after the talks, the North claimed that the negotiation broke down due to a failure by the U.S. to present a new proposal acceptable to Pyongyang. During his speech, Moon also stressed the importance of the free trade order. "It is the time when full trust and support for related international organizations and treaties for fair and free trade based on transparent rules is needed from each parliament," he said. South Korea has recently been calling for the international community to stand united in safeguarding free trade rules amid Japan's export curbs, which it believes are political retaliation for last year's Korean Supreme Court rulings against Japanese firms over wartime forced labor. (END)