By Pyeongyang Press Corps

President Moon Jae-in will head to New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly that will take place on Sept. 23 after returning to Seoul upon successfully finishing the 2018 Inter-Korean Summit Pyeongyang. 

In the U.S., he will hold a summit meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sept. 24 to discuss a detailed denuclearization timetable, while working to organize the next summit between North Korea and the U.S.

President Moon held the media conference on Sept. 20 at the main press center at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul right after coming back from Pyeongyang for the three-day series of inter-Korean talks. He told reporters that, "I will hold summit talks with President Trump to deliver the contents that are not contained in the joint declaration and a message from the North all of which are related to denuclearization."

Since the Pyeongyang Joint Declaration of September 2018 was announced, the U.S. government has seemed to accelerate its denuclearization negotiations with North Korea. Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview with Fox News that North Korea and the U.S. are making progress, which they need to do. He also said that the U.S. is aware that it will always take time, as it has been the case, despite steady progress.

While welcoming the latest inter-Korean summit results, Washington has been maintaining its "denuclearization first" stance. 

 In regard to the denuclearization issue, U.S. Department of State spokesperson Heather Ann Nauert said in a press briefing on Sept. 20 that, "We get this done pretty quickly when or as North Korea cooperates.” Spokesperson Nauert said, “The intention is to get this done by the time of the President’s first term."

"Nothing can happen in the absence of denuclearization. Denuclearization has to come first," she said.

jer2co@korea.kr