Korean leaders to meet in Pyongyang next month
SEOUL: North and South Korea agreed to hold a summit in Pyongyang next month, the latest step forward in cross-border ties this year after more high-level talks yesterday, the South's Unification Ministry said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae In met in April and May at the border truce village of Panmunjom, within the demilitarised zone that separates the two Koreas, and agreed that the next summit in autumn would be held in the North Korean capital.
The two Koreas held a fresh round of talks yesterday to discuss the third summit, led by the South's Unification Minister Cho Myoung Gyon and his North Korean counterpart Ri Son Gwon.
Mr Ri said, without details, that it was important to clear "obstacles" that prevent inter-Korean relations from moving forward as planned.
PROBLEMS
"If the issues that were raised at the talks aren't resolved, unexpected problems could emerge and the issues that are already on the schedule may face difficulties," he said.
Mr Cho refused to specify the problems raised by Mr Ri but said there was talk of humanitarian issues and ways to improve inter-Korean relations.
He said the next summit in Pyongyang would help improve cross-border ties by allowing the two leaders to discuss the North's denuclearisation and how to establish peace on the peninsula.
The North has been heavily sanctioned over its pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, but Mr Kim and US President Donald Trump agreed at their summit in June to work towards the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
US officials familiar with the talks told Reuters that North Korea had yet to agree to a timeline for eliminating its nuclear arsenal or to disclose its size, which US estimates have put at between 30 and 60 warheads. - REUTERS
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