By Kim Rahn
The two Koreas began working-level discussions Thursday on protocol, security and media coverage details for the upcoming summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
According to Cheong Wa Dae and the Ministry of Unification, five officials from the presidential office and the spy agency took part in the meeting at the Peace House, a building on the South Korean side of the truce village of Panmunjeom.
"The officials talked with their North Korean counterparts on what working-level staff have to prepare," a ministry official said.
The meeting was agreed to at a high-level meeting, March 29, when the two countries set the summit date for April 27. It was initially scheduled for Wednesday, but the North requested it be delayed by a day.
Kim Sang-gyun, deputy director of the National Intelligence Service, led the South Korean officials, along with senior Cheong Wa Dae official Yun Kun-young. In March, the two visited Pyongyang and met Kim Jong-un as Moon's special envoys.
The three other officials were presidential secretary for protocol Cho Han-ki; deputy head of the Presidential Security Service Shin Yong-wook; and Cheong Wa Dae press center director Kwun Hyuk-ki.
From the North, National Defense Commission Secretariat Director Kim Chang-son and five others attended the meeting, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
In the four-hour meeting, they discussed how and by which route the North Korean leader would cross the military demarcation line (MDL), such as on foot or by car ― a serious issue because of the symbolic meaning of a North Korean leader setting foot in the South for the first time since the 1950-53 Korean War.
They also talked about what time the two leaders would start the summit, how long they would talk for, whether they would have lunch or dinner together, and how many officials would accompany the leaders at the summit venue.
As to media coverage, the two sides discussed how many journalists would be allowed into the Peace House and whether to allow live broadcasting of some parts of the summit. In the previous inter-Korean summits in Pyongyang in 2000 and 2007, live broadcasting was impossible due to technical limitations and also because North Korea did not say in advance by which route then-leader Kim Jong-il would arrive at the talk venue.
Other issues at the meeting included whether the first ladies would also come to the summit venue and have their own separate meeting, and whether Kim would inspect a South Korean honor guard. When former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun had summits in Pyongyang, they inspected North Korean honor guards, although there was no hoisting of the South Korean flag or playing of the South Korean national anthem.
A Cheong Wa Dae official said the two sides may have to hold one or two more working-level meetings as they need to arrange many things. In previous inter-Korean summits, the two Koreas held multiple working-level meetings.
The two Koreas will also have a separate working-level meeting, Saturday, over communication channels, including how to set up a hotline between Moon and Kim Jong-un, which was agreed to during the special envoys' visit to Pyongyang.
The two Koreas began working-level discussions Thursday on protocol, security and media coverage details for the upcoming summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
According to Cheong Wa Dae and the Ministry of Unification, five officials from the presidential office and the spy agency took part in the meeting at the Peace House, a building on the South Korean side of the truce village of Panmunjeom.
"The officials talked with their North Korean counterparts on what working-level staff have to prepare," a ministry official said.
The meeting was agreed to at a high-level meeting, March 29, when the two countries set the summit date for April 27. It was initially scheduled for Wednesday, but the North requested it be delayed by a day.
Kim Sang-gyun, deputy director of the National Intelligence Service, led the South Korean officials, along with senior Cheong Wa Dae official Yun Kun-young. In March, the two visited Pyongyang and met Kim Jong-un as Moon's special envoys.
The three other officials were presidential secretary for protocol Cho Han-ki; deputy head of the Presidential Security Service Shin Yong-wook; and Cheong Wa Dae press center director Kwun Hyuk-ki.
From the North, National Defense Commission Secretariat Director Kim Chang-son and five others attended the meeting, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
In the four-hour meeting, they discussed how and by which route the North Korean leader would cross the military demarcation line (MDL), such as on foot or by car ― a serious issue because of the symbolic meaning of a North Korean leader setting foot in the South for the first time since the 1950-53 Korean War.
They also talked about what time the two leaders would start the summit, how long they would talk for, whether they would have lunch or dinner together, and how many officials would accompany the leaders at the summit venue.
As to media coverage, the two sides discussed how many journalists would be allowed into the Peace House and whether to allow live broadcasting of some parts of the summit. In the previous inter-Korean summits in Pyongyang in 2000 and 2007, live broadcasting was impossible due to technical limitations and also because North Korea did not say in advance by which route then-leader Kim Jong-il would arrive at the talk venue.
Other issues at the meeting included whether the first ladies would also come to the summit venue and have their own separate meeting, and whether Kim would inspect a South Korean honor guard. When former Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun had summits in Pyongyang, they inspected North Korean honor guards, although there was no hoisting of the South Korean flag or playing of the South Korean national anthem.
A Cheong Wa Dae official said the two sides may have to hold one or two more working-level meetings as they need to arrange many things. In previous inter-Korean summits, the two Koreas held multiple working-level meetings.
The two Koreas will also have a separate working-level meeting, Saturday, over communication channels, including how to set up a hotline between Moon and Kim Jong-un, which was agreed to during the special envoys' visit to Pyongyang.
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