Moon Chung-in, a special adviser for unification and foreign and security affairs to President Moon Jae-in, speaks during the "Moon Jae-in Government and Korea Peace Initiative" forum at the Kim Dae-jung library in Mapo-gu, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

By Jung Da-min

North Korea should allow international inspectors to verify dismantlement of the Punggye-ri nuclear facilities, taking the initiative in facilitating the stalled denuclearization talks with the U.S., Moon Chung-in, a security adviser to President Moon Jae-in, said Thursday.

Moon was speaking at the "Moon Jae-in Government and Korea Peace Initiative" forum, organized by the Yonsei Institute for North Korean Studies and the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU) in Seoul.

He said North Korea should act to break the mistrust that has emerged after the breakup of the second North Korea-U.S. summit in Hanoi in February.

"It (the Punggye-ri nuclear site) needs inspection," Moon said. "That would be one positive first move. That kind of activity will give a very positive signal to Washington. I would argue that Trump could reciprocate North Korea's first move."

Moon said the U.S. and North Korea should pursue efforts to continue negotiations, restraining themselves so they can hold another summit and working-level talks.

Speaking of President Moon's role in bridging the gap between North Korea and the U.S., the adviser said it will be a "herculean task" for the South Korean President because the North sees the South as being on the same side as the U.S.

He said he hopes President Moon will come to an agreement with U.S. President Donald Trump on sanctions relief that can reactivate inter-Korean relations, at the South Korea-U.S. summit in Washington on April 11.

"I think President Moon's primary concern will be some kind of relaxation of sanctions from the U.S.," the adviser said. "There could be some exemptions for inter-Korean exchanges perhaps, including Mount Geumgang and the Gaeseong complex."

The forum was held at the Kim Dae-jung library in Mapo-gu, Seoul, and attended by international experts on Korean Peninsula security.