President Moon Jae-in and French President Emmanuel Macron held a telephone conversation Thursday and discussed ways to work together on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, and for a successful PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. 

According to Cheong Wa Dae, the two leaders spoke for about 30 minutes from 7:20 p.m. during which Moon gave a detailed account of inter-Korean talks. 

Seoul’s presidential office added that Moon expressed his hopes to develop the ongoing talks to ease tension on the peninsula and ultimately to denuclearization. 

According to Cheong Wa Dae, Macron highly assessed Moon’s efforts to maintain peace and welcomed the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue. 

“(Macron) reaffirmed his support for South Korean government’s policies, and to do (France’s) part in preventing tension from rising and in resolving the nuclear issue,” Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement. 

The French president also welcomed North Korea’s decision to participate in the games, and said that he will consider Moon’s invitation to the games, Cheong Wa Dae said. 

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)