문대통령-바이든 첫 소통…'평화프로세스' 복원 행보 빨라질까<br /><br />Our starting point tonight: The very first phone call between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and the U.S. President-elect Joe Biden.<br />Seoul's top office says their commitment to the robust South Korea, U.S. alliance and Korean Peninsula issues took center stage... which was pretty much echoed by a readout by Biden's transition team.<br />Our senior Blue House correspondent Kim Minji is live at the nation's top office.<br />Minji, the very first official dialogue between Moon and Biden. How long was this phone call, did they discuss North Korean denuclearization?<br />President Moon Jae-in and the U.S. President-elect Joe Biden reaffirmed their commitment to a robust alliance and a peaceful and prosperous Korean Peninsula.<br />They had their first phone call on Thursday morning, Korea time, lasting 14 minutes.<br />It comes four days after Biden claimed victory.<br />Here's Seoul's presidential spokesperson.<br />"President Moon said that he hopes to communicate closely with the U.S. for the development of the Seoul-Washington alliance... and for denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula."<br />Separately, Biden in a statement from his transition team said he looks forward to working closely with Moon in solving the North Korea nuclear issue.<br />He added that he wants to strengthen the alliance as the linchpin of security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.<br />The president-elect also expressed hope that the two countries can cooperate on global issues,... such as tackling COVID-19, responding to climate change and reviving the global economy.<br />Moon and Biden also agreed to meet at an early date once the president-elect takes office.<br />Many Korean peninsula analysts have been closely watching this first dialogue between President Moon and the President-elect considering Seoul's outstanding issues with Washington.<br />It looks like the Moon, Biden talks today did manage to touch on issues that needed to be addressed albeit very briefly.<br />Now that summit diplomacy has kicked off,... can we expect the South Korean government to step up communication with the incoming administration?<br />Yes, South Korea is expected to step up communication with the incoming U.S. administration on various fronts,... especially diplomacy,... as it seeks to get inter-Korean affairs back on track.<br />In particular, the government will likely put great emphasis on resuming the stalled denuclearization talks between North Korea and the U.S.<br />Mind you, Seoul has played a key role in facilitating those negotiations.<br />But the two sides will have some juggling to do in terms of approach and time frame though,... with Biden expected to pursue a more cautious and systematic approach... compared to President Donald Trump.<br />Moon and Biden also agree on the need for a summit at an early date which could spark some momentum,... although that'll largely depend on the COVID-19 situation...
