Two Koreas agree to hold September summit in Pyongyang; Kim commits to denuclearization
SEOUL (AFP/Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will meet with the South's President Moon Jae-in in a summit in Pyongyang from September 18 to 20 to discuss nuclear disarmament, Seoul said Thursday.
During the third meeting between the two leaders, Kim and Moon will discuss issues including "practical measures" to denuclearize the flashpoint peninsula, South Korean envoy Chung Eui-yong told reporters.
Kim Jong Un renewed his commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. "The north and the south should further their efforts to realize the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," KCNA cited Kim as saying.
"It is our fixed stand and his will 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," it added.
Kim made the remarks as he received a high-level South Korean delegation in Pyongyang on Wednesday, for discussions aimed at planning a new inter-Korean summit, and breaking the deadlock in denuclearization talks between the North and the US.
Kim exchanged "wide-ranging opinions" with the delegation over the schedule for the Pyongyang summit due in September and its agenda, and "came to a satisfactory agreement", the report said without naming a specific date.
Chung -- Moon's national security advisor -- flew to Pyongyang on Wednesday to meet with Kim and deliver Moon's letter to the North's leader.
The 11-member delegation was greeted in Pyongyang by Ri Son Gwon, chairman of a North Korean committee in charge of cross-border affairs, who has steered high-level inter-Korean talks, according to Moon’s press secretary Yoon Young-chan.
They held a 20-minute meeting with Ri and Kim Yong Chol, who played a key role with Pompeo in arranging the Singapore summit, Yoon said without elaborating.
Chung said on Tuesday he wanted to discuss with Pyongyang officials ways to achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
Seoul would also continue to push for a joint declaration with the United States of an end to the Korean war this year, Chung said.
The North’s Kim made his first public appearance in 16 days to pay respects at the funeral of Ju Kyu Chang, North Korean state media KCNA reported on Wednesday.
Ju was a leading contributor to North Korea’s successful development of its nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and space program.
North Korea is preparing to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the regime’s founding on Sunday.