S. Korean presidential envoy to visit Pyongyang next week

By Lim Chang-won Posted : August 31, 2018, 17:34 Updated : August 31, 2018, 17:34

[Courtesy of the presidential Blue House]


SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in will send a special envoy to Pyongyang next week to make preparations for a fresh summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un amid growing concerns that a stalemate in denuclearization talks could disrupt inter-Korean rapprochement.

The special envoy will visit Pyongyang Wednesday to discuss a wide range of pending issues including denuclearization and the date for the third inter-Korean summit, presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told reporters, adding details would be fixed later.

Moon and Kim will meet Pyongyang in September. The exact date was not disclosed, but South Korea officials said earlier that the third summit is not possible before September 10 due to Pyongyang's internal political events. North Korea marks the 70th anniversary of its founding on September 9.

In April, the two Koreas agreed to work on ending the status of war, stop all hostile acts against each other and replace a fragile armistice signed at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War with a lasting peace regime. Two months later, U.S. and North Korean leaders agreed to forge a lasting peace regime in return for Pyongyang's complete denuclearization.

However, there has been slow progress in denuclearization, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to cancel a scheduled North Korea visit by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Washington wants quick and tangible steps to achieve denuclearization while Pyongyang insists on a gradual and synchronous approach.

Signing a peace treaty has been a key subject at inter-Korean talks because North Korea wants a non-aggression accord with the U.S. to ensure the security of its regime. Some 28,000 U.S. troops have been stationed in South Korea under a mutual pact.
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