Korean summit begins in optimistic mood

SOUTH KOREAN President Moon Jae-in has begun his third summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the hope of brokering a compromise to keep Pyongyang’s talks with Washington from imploding.

Mr Kim gave the South Korean president an exceedingly warm welcome, meeting him and his wife at Pyongyang’s airport – a very unusual gesture – then riding into town with Mr Moon in an open limousine through streets lined with crowds of cheering North Koreans.

Hours after his arrival, Mr Moon began an official summit with Mr Kim at the ruling Workers’ Party headquarters.

The two were joined by two of their top deputies – spy chief Suh Hoon and presidential security director Chung Eui-yong for Mr Moon, and Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, and senior Workers’ Party official Kim Yong Chol for the North Korean leader, according to Mr Moon’s office.

At the start of their meeting, Mr Kim thanked Mr Moon for brokering a June summit with US President Donald Trump.

“It’s not too much to say that it’s Moon’s efforts that arranged a historic North Korea-US summit. Because of that, the regional political situation has been stabilised and more progress is expected,” Mr Kim said.

Mr Moon responded by expressing his own thanks to Mr Kim for making a “bold decision” in a New Year’s speech to open a new era of detente and send a delegation to the South Korean Winter Olympics in February.

The results of the talks were not immediately available. Seoul officials earlier said they would focus on how to achieve denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, decrease military tensions along their border and improve overall ties.

The North’s media said the talks would reaffirm their commitment to Korean peace, unity and prosperity.