Korean leaders to meet April 27
Official from North sees summit as ‘new hope’ to end standoff
PAJU, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in at a border village on April 27, the South announced Thursday, for a rare summit meant to address the decadeslong standoff over the North’s nuclear program.
The announcement was made after officials of the two countries met at the border village of Panmunjom. The Koreas plan to hold another preparatory meeting Wednesday to discuss security, protocol and media coverage matters, according to a statement released by the countries.
The meeting will be the third ever held between leaders of the two Koreas. Kim’s father and predecessor, Kim Jong Il, met with South Korean Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun in 2000 and 2007, respectively, in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. The Korean Peninsula was divided in 1945 into a U.S.-backed south and Soviet-backed north, which became sovereign nations three years later.
Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, one of three South Korean participants in Thursday’s talks, told reporters beforehand that setting up discussions between the leaders on the North’s nuclear disarmament would be a critical point.
After the meeting, Cho told South Korean reporters that there was a “sufficient exchange of opinions” on the agenda for the summit, but he didn’t provide a clear answer on whether discussions of the nuclear issue will be included.
“Both sides agreed to prepare for [the summit] in a way that would allow sincere and heartfelt discussions [between the leaders]. If there’s a need, we decided to continue discussions on the summit agenda through follow-up high-level meetings in April,” Cho said.
“Both sides will continue working-level discussions [on the agenda] while focusing on the issues surrounding the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the stabilization of peace and the development of relations between the South and North.”
When asked whether such issues would shape the discussions between Kim and Moon, Cho said, “Yes.”
The North’s three delegates were led by Ri Son Gwon, chairman of a state agency that deals with inter-Korean affairs. The countries earlier this month agreed to hold a leaders’ summit on the southern side of the border village. Thursday’s meeting was held to determine the date and other matters.
After the meeting, Ri hailed the agreement on the summit, which he said provides “immense expectations and new hope for the entire nation that desires peace on the Korean
Peninsula.” He called for officials from both countries to do their best to “perfectly secure the historic meeting between the leaders.”
The countries also agreed to hold a separate meeting to discuss communication issues, such as setting up a telephone hotline between Moon and Kim, and maintain working-level discussions, according to the statement.
The South’s delegation arrived in Panmunjom after their vehicles crossed the heavily guarded border near the southern city of Paju.
Greeting the South Korean officials at the North Korean-controlled Tongilgak building, Ri said the past 80 days have been filled with “unprecedented historic events” between the rivals, referring to the resumption of dialogue between the Koreas before the Winter Olympics in the South and the agreement to hold a summit.
Cho, in response, said officials should do their best to arrange a successful summit as the “current situation was created by decisions by the highest leaders of the North and South.”
The talks follow a surprise meeting this week between Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping that appeared to be aimed at improving both countries’ positions ahead of Kim’s planned summits with Moon and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump, for his part, suggested Thursday that he may delay a revamped trade deal the U.S. reached with South Korea this week until after the nuclear confrontation with North Korea is resolved.
“I may hold it up until after a deal is made with North Korea,” Trump said Thursday during a speech in Richfield, Ohio. “You know why? Because it’s a very strong card and I want to make sure everyone is treated fairly and we’re moving along very nicely with North Korea.”
The president will need the support of the Seoul government in negotiations to get Kim to abandon his nuclear ambitions.
Trump’s statement on a delay took some White House officials by surprise, and the media office didn’t immediately respond to requests to clarify his intentions. The U.S. trade representative’s office also had no immediate comment.
The South Korean Embassy in Washington didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Moments before he suggested he would delay the renegotiated agreement, Trump hailed it as “a wonderful deal” and criticized the existing trade agreement with South Korea as “a horror show.”