Two Koreas to hold summit in September

Seoul, Sept. 6: The leaders of the two Koreas will hold a summit in Pyongyang in September, Seoul said on Thursday, as Kim Jongun renewed his commitment to the denuclearisation of the flashpoint peninsula.

The announcement of the September 18- 20 summit — the third between the North's leader Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae- in this year — comes as US efforts to dismantle Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal have stalled.

The two leaders will meet in the North Korean capital to discuss “practical measures to denuclearise” the peninsula, South Korean National Security Advisor Chung Eui- yong told reporters.

Chung on Wednesday flew to Pyongyang where he handed over a personal letter from Moon to Kim, as Seoul seeks to kick- start the diplomacy that led to the landmark June summit between US President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader.

The two pledged to denuclearise the Korean peninsula at the Singapore meeting but no details were agreed, and Washington and Pyongyang have sparred since on what that means and how it will be achieved. However, in his meeting with Chung, Mr Kim renewed his commitment to that goal, North Korean state media said Thursday.

The two Koreas “should further their efforts to realise the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula”, Mr Kim was quoted as saying by KCNA.

“It is our fixed stand... to completely remove the danger of armed conflict and horror of war from the Korean peninsula and turn it into the cradle of peace without nuclear weapons and free from nuclear threat.” Moon, who brokered the historic summit between Kim and Trump in Singapore, said he had “high hopes” for his next meeting with the North's leader to achieve a similar feat.

“I have come to hope that it will kick- start dialogue between the US and North Korea for the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula,” Mr Moon said during meeting with his aides.