[Anchor Lead]
The date has been set for the first inter-Korean summit in 11 years. The third summit of the two Koreas will be held on April 27th at the truce village of Panmunjeom, which remains a symbol of the divided peninsula. This is the first time a North Korean leader will cross the border into the south: the two previous summits were held in Pyongyang in 2000 and 2007. Here’s more.
[Pkg]
The first summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will be held on April 27th.
[Soundbite] Cho Myoung-gyon(Chief S. Korean Delegate (Unification Minister)) : "The inter-Korean summit will be held at the Peace House on the South Korean side of Panmunjeom on Apr. 27."
Seoul's chief delegate Cho Myoung-gyon and his Pyongyang counterpart, Ri Son-gwon, met for high-level talks on the North Korean side of Panmunjeom and agreed on a three-point joint report. The two sides also agreed to hold working-level meetings on the south side of Panmunjeom on April 4th to work out the protocol, security, and news coverage details. Since this is the first such event held at Panmunjeom, North Korean officials are likely to visit the summit venue in the south side prior to the meeting and check the protocol procedures and security details for Kim Jong-un. Working-level discussions required for the summit will continue via document and letter exchanges.
[Soundbite] Ri Son-gwon(Chief N. Korean Delegate) : "We will need to work closely together to carry out necessary preparations over a short period of time."
North Korea reported on the adoption of a joint report for summit preparation but did not disclose where and when the historic event will be held.
