President Moon also addressed the bilateral dispute between South Korea and Japan during his keynote address to the UN General Assembly.
Although he did not mention Japan by name,... President Moon took a clear dig at Tokyo's unfair trade practices and its failure to take responsibility for its past wrongdoings.
Park Hee-jun has more. On the world's biggest diplomatic stage,... President Moon Jae-in did not miss the opportunity to criticize Japan for refusing to compensate South Koreans pushed into forced labor during Japan's colonial rule of Korea,... and for Tokyo's recent retaliatory trade measures.

"We will be able to make more progress when we cooperate, while safeguarding the values of free and fair trade upon the foundation of an earnest self-reflection of history."

It was an indirect, but clear message to Japan.
President Moon emphasized the importance of maintaining a free trade order -- something Japan has been failing to do.

"In the aftermath of World War II, East Asia has made unprecedented progress through close mutual exchanges, the division of labor and economic cooperation by overcoming the pain of invasion and colonial rule. The free trade order marked by fair competition has served as its very foundation."

The General Assembly speech was the first multilateral stage for President Moon,... since the Japanese government initiated its export curbs on South Korea's hi-tech materials in July,... and since it took Seoul off its whitelist of trusted trading partners in August.
However, President Moon is seen to have refrained from stronger remarks that could have irritated Japan.
But he shed light on how the Seoul-Tokyo trade dispute is not simply a bilateral issue,... but one that hurts the global trade order.

According to the South Korean president,... Seoul considers its neighbors as "partners."
And based on the regional partnership,... South Korea strives to expand a people-centered community of mutual prosperity throughout the Korean Peninsula, East Asia and ultimately to the whole of Asia.
Through this message -- a conciliatory gesture to Japan -- President Moon once again called on Tokyo to work with Seoul to resolve their differences in a diplomatic manner.
Park Hee-jun, Arirang News.