President Moon Jae-in responded to North Korea's calls to remove South Korean facilities at Mount Geumgang.
He pointed out there is a need to find ways to conduct the cross border tours without violating UN sanctions.
Shin Se-min has our top story.
President Moon Jae-in said the current approach in dealing with the tour projects to North Korea's Mount Geumgang needs to be changed in a way that does not violate UN Security Council sanctions.
Speaking at a meeting with the presidential press corps on Friday,... the president said the tour program to North Korea's Mount Geumgang itself-- is not in breach of international sanctions.
But he said paying for the tour packages can indeed constitute a violation of sanctions.
As for the comments by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Mount Geumgang this week,... that he wants South Korean facilities removed from the site, the president said they go against our national sentiment,... and even damage inter-Korean relations.
When asked if the North Korean leader had ensured the president on completely giving up its existing nuclear weapons-- the president reaffirmed that indeed, the concept of 'complete denuclearization' understood by the regime is the same level of denuclearization the U.S. is seeking.
And the president stressed that the issue, however, is whether or not Washington supports Kim's demands.
President Moon added that Kim's denuclearization commitment is deemed reliable-- as he had been consistent in reaffirming his resolve in meetings not just with himself but also with other world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Shin Se-min, Arirang News.