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| In this April 27, 2018 file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in cross the military demarcation line to the South side at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea. Korea Times file |
By Ko Dong-hwan
The South Korean presidential office plans to hold the next inter-Korean summit on Sept. 18-20 to confirm the road toward denuclearization, according to Hankook Ilbo.
The report said Cheong Wa Dae will propose the date to North Korea. The presidential office also has started clearing part of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Jongno-gu in central Seoul and hotels in the area to set up a main press center for journalists.
Cheong Wa Dae, however, denied Tuesday that it has signed a rental contract with DDP. An official from the presidential office told News1 that "main press center is usually set up after dates have been finally confirmed" and the office was "currently searching venues for the media center." He said DDP and KINTEX in Paju were "among the options."
Regarding the summit's date and place, Cheong Wa Dae has so far said only that the meeting might take place in Pyongyang in September.
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The summit, if it takes place on the dates, will follow the 70th anniversary of the North Korean government's foundation on Sept. 9 and precedes the United Nations' general meetings starting on Sept. 25.
The South's delegation led by national security adviser?Chung Eui-yong will visit Pyongyang on Sept. 5 to discuss the summit, denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and peace policies. Depending on Wednesday visit, the summit's dates could change, according to the report.
The Cheong Wa Dae official who released details of the third summit emphasized that empting DDp was not because the dates had been confirmed but rather to prepare the venue early.
Cheong Wa Dae is looking to improve inter-Korean ties as well as relations between Kim and U.S, President Donald Trump through the upcoming summit.
Pyongyang and Washington held an historic summit in Singapore in June, but the summit has recently been criticized for lacking practical measures and being "merely a show."
