All in all, a productive whistle-stop stay in Bangkok for South Korea's leader.<br />President Moon Jae-in has wrapped a series of ASEAN-related summit meetings in the Thai capital and returns to Seoul in the coming hours.<br />Watchers say his most notable achievement in Thailand was creating momentum for fresh new talks between South Korea and Japan through unexpected talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.<br />Our Park Hee-jun files this report from Bangkok. President Moon Jae-in returns home Tuesday afternoon after wrapping up his three-day visit to Thailand to attend the ASEAN Plus Three and related regional forums.<br />And, one of President Moon Jae-in's biggest achievements at the ASEAN summits in Bangkok rekindling the possibility of improving ties between South Korea and Japan after months of tensions centered around trade and their shared history.<br />During his three days in the southeast Asian country, President Moon held an unexpected 11-minute-long discussion with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - their first official sitdown in 13 months.<br />The president also proposed high-level dialogue as an option possibly implying the annual trilateral summit involving China will happen in December.<br />President Moon initiated the talks,... perhaps recognizing the need to improve relations before their military intel-sharing pact known as GSOMIA expires on November 22nd.<br />On the ASEAN stage, President Moon remained firm in his stance that free trade principles must be protected an indirect criticism of Tokyo's economic retaliation involving export restrictions against tech-related materials needed by South Korean firms.<br />The president also reaffirmed his determination to achieve lasting peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.<br />He asked ASEAN to join him in his efforts... describing the stalled Pyeongyang-Washington talks and a third leaders' summit between the two as the biggest obstacles in the process.<br />The South Korean leader also devoted much of his time and energy garnering the support of Southeast Asian nations for the Korea-ASEAN and Korea-Mekong summits, taking place in Korea's southern city of Busan later this month.<br />Park Hee-jun, Arirang News, Bangkok.<br />
