'Moon, not Trump, deserves Nobel Peace Prize,' says ex

/ Captured from Robert Reich's Facebook

By Kang Aa-young, Park Si-soo

Robert Reich, a former U.S. cabinet member, has praised President Moon Jae-in's "broker diplomacy" between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying the world was "fortunate to have Moon at the helm" in South Korea "at this fragile point in time."

Reich, who was U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1993-97, said that if the North Korean nuclear crisis was settled and a Nobel Peace Prize was awarded, it should go to "Moon, not Trump."

He posted the comment on his Facebook on May 25. Reich is a professor of public policy at the University of California in Berkeley.

Will Nobel Peace Prize go to Moon, Kim? 2018-10-01 16:18  |  Politics
"One final thought from my few days here in South Korea. In the drama that's unfolding, we hear a lot about Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong-un," he wrote on Facebook. "But if there is ever going to be a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, the person who will deserve the Nobel Peace Prize won't be Trump. It will be South Korea's president, Moon Jae-in."

Recollecting his experiences of working with many foreign heads of state, Reich said, "Rarely if ever have I witnessed someone as talented, intelligent, humble, and progressive as President Moon. He also has a superb administration, dedicated to fairness, inclusion, and democracy."

He ended the message: "At this fragile point in time, when Trump and Kim ― two hot-headed paranoids ― could start a nuclear war, the world is fortunate to have Moon at the helm in South Korea."