On Tuesday, the South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who was elected in Presidential election after the impeachment of his predecessor Park Geun-Hye, has decisively weighed in on the escalating tensions between North Korea and the United States. In a televised speech he not only called for peaceful and diplomatic solution but stressed that there would be no military action on North Korea, without the consent of the South and his government would prevent an all-out war by any means necessary, "Military action on the Korean peninsula can only be decided by South Korea and no one else can decide to take military action without the consent of South Korea…. The government, putting everything on the line, will block war by all means……. I call upon the North Korean government: without international cooperation and co-existence economic development is impossible…….If you continue on this path there will only be international isolation and a dark future."

President Moon’s comments come at a time when North Korea and the United States are exchanging military threats. While DPRK revealed plans to strike a Western Pacific US territory Guam, the US President Donald Trump said military options on North Korea ‘locked and loaded’.

President Moon would need to play a crucial role whether it comes to military action or diplomatic solution as his country stands to lose most from a war and also stands to win most from a peaceful solution.