Koreas to hold summit in Pyongyang in September

Aug 13, 2018

Seoul:South Korea and North Korea on Monday agreed to hold a summit meeting of their leaders in Pyongyang in September.

The agreement was made during high-level talks on the northern side of the peace village of Panmunjom that separates the two Koreas. They, however, did not unveil the date of the meeting, reports Yonhap News Agency.

“We agreed to hold an inter-Korean summit within September in Pyongyang” the two Koreas said in a joint press statement issued after the meeting.

North Korea’s chief delegate, Ri Son-gwon, hinted after the meeting that the two sides agreed on a date but decided not to announce it, only to emphasise that the summit will take place “within September”.

The summit meeting, if held, will mark the third of its kind between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un following their face-to-face meetings in April and May.

In the April summit, the two leaders agreed to meet again in Pyongyang some time later this year.

During Monday’s talks, the two Koreas also discussed what has been implemented since their previous summits, especially on their promised efforts to expand cross-border exchanges and cooperation.

“We reviewed the implementation situations of the Panmunjom Declaration and held consultations in a sincere manner on matters related to its more active enforcement,” the two sides said, referring to the agreement reached in the historic April summit.

The talks came amid worries that the denuclearization process seems to have been in a stalemate since the June 12 summit in Singapore between North Korea and the US.
(IANS)