Moon to discuss economic cooperation, denuclearization with Putin

President Moon Jae-in and First Lady Kim Jung-sook wave before departing for Russia on Thursday. YONHAP/THE KOREA HERALD

SEOUL — President Moon Jae-in on Thursday set out on a state visit to Russia, where he is expected to discuss economic cooperation and denuclearization with President Vladimir Putin.

Moon will kick off his trip by addressing the State Duma for the first time for a South Korean president, and meet with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

In a summit with Putin, scheduled for Friday, Moon is expected to focus on gaining Russia’s support for denuclearization and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula. It will be their third summit following one that was held on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Germany in July, and the Eastern Economic Forum held in Vladivostok in September.

In an interview with Russia’s TASS news agency on Wednesday, Moon stressed that Seoul and Moscow will “cooperate closely until the end” in the denuclearization process.

Moon also said that he and Putin share the same vision for peace and prosperity of Eurasia, hinting at his plans for a three-way economic cooperation among Seoul, Moscow and Pyongyang.

On his first visit to Russia in September, Moon revealed his new northern policy that seeks wider economic cooperation with Russia, and with North Korea once the conditions are met. Central to Moon’s Seoul-Pyongyang-Moscow economic cooperation plans are railway and energy projects.

On Saturday, Moon will head to Rostov-on-Don to meet with the Korean soccer team and watch their match against Mexico.