North Korean First Lady to Attend South Korean Banquet with Husband
(Baonghean.vn) - Ms. Ri's attendance could be a sign of a big step forward at the summit, because until the morning of April 27, Blue House officials said it was unclear whether she would go to the last remaining Cold War frontline in the world.
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| North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shook hands on the morning of April 27. Photo: CNN |
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will jointly announce the outcome of their April 27 summit when and if their working-level officials reach a final agreement, the South Korean presidential office (the Blue House) has just announced.
The leaders of South and North Korea met at the Panmunjom Joint Security Area on the morning of April 27. The discussions lasted nearly 100 minutes after starting at 10:15 a.m. (local time).
“At the summit, the two leaders held serious and honest discussions on ways to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, establish lasting peace and develop South-North relations,” Yoon Young-chan, Moon’s senior press secretary, said at a press briefing.
“They agreed to continue working-level discussions to draft a joint statement and when the joint statement is drawn up, the leaders will hold a signing ceremony and jointly announce it,” he added.
Mr Kim returned to the North Korean side of Panmunjom after concluding his first meeting with Mr Moon.
He is scheduled to cross the inter-Korean border again on April 27 for a series of events clearly aimed at forging a personal relationship between the leaders of the two Koreas, which are technically still at war.
Earlier, the Blue House said that Mr. Moon and Mr. Kim will plant a tree together to mark the first inter-Korean summit held in South Korea, and then take a walk together. The Moon-Kim meeting marks the third inter-Korean summit. The previous two summits, in 2000 and 2007, were both held in Pyongyang.
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| Ri Sol Ju walks with her husband Kim Jong-un at an event in Pyongyang on April 14. Photo: CNN |
According to the same source, on the evening of April 27, Mr. Moon will host a dinner party to welcome North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju, who are expected to arrive at Panmunjom at 6:15 (local time) on the afternoon of April 27.
Ri's attendance could signal a major step forward at the summit, as Blue House officials said it was unclear until the morning of April 27 whether she would travel to the world's last remaining Cold War frontline.
Ms. Ri will have a brief conversation with Mr. Moon's wife, Ms. Kim Jung-sook, before the two first ladies attend an official dinner together. This will be the first meeting between the first ladies of the two Koreas./.
