By Sohn JiAe
Photos = Cheong Wa Dae

South Korea suggested that a meeting between high-ranking officials from the two Koreas should be held at the Panmunjom Tongilgak Pavilion on March 29, prior to the expected inter-Korean summit scheduled for late April.

Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Kim Eui-kyeom outlined in a press briefing on March 21 the results of the second meeting of the preparation committee for the inter-Korean talks. “Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-Gyon will lead a delegation for the March 29 talks, which include one official each from Cheong Wa Dae and the National Intelligence Service. The delegation will discuss with North Korea the schedule, agenda and participants of the upcoming inter-Korean dialogue session.”

President Moon Jae-in also attended the preparation committee’s second meeting and stressed that, “Peace on the Korean Peninsula cannot be achieved solely through agreements between South and North Korea. It requires the U.S.’ engagement and guarantee.”

“It also requires normalization of the Washington-Pyongyang relationship and, furthermore, better economic cooperation between the two countries,” said President Moon, asking the committee to pursue that goal and vision.

The president mentioned the possibility of the inter-Korean and U.S.-North Korea summits leading to a trilateral summit among Seoul, Pyongyang and Washington, and said, “With the summits and the consequential talks, we must bring to an end nuclear weapons and peace issues on the peninsula. Whether the two Koreas live together or separately, we must make it so that they prosper together and in peace, without interfering or causing damage to each other.”

“Although it’s a path that we have never explored, we have clear plans and a clear vision of goals we seek to achieve through an agreement between the leaders of the South, North and the U.S.,” the president said.



jiae5853@korea.kr