ROK says to push for DPRK leader's visit to Seoul in 2019

The Republic of Korea's (ROK's) unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean relations said on Friday that it will push for the visit to Seoul by top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un this year.

The ministry said in its 2019 work plan, submitted to the National Assembly, that through Kim's visit to Seoul, the ROK will try to create a virtuous cycle of improved relations between the two Koreas and between the DPRK and the U.S., and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The ministry said the ROK's government will try to regularize the inter-Korean summit as well as high-level talks this year to lay a firm groundwork for relations between the two Koreas.

ROK residents flash placards in support of the planned inter-Korean summit outside ROK's Presidential Blue House, Seoul, April 26, 2018. /VCG Photo

It noted that through inter-Korean dialogues, the ROK will seek to encourage the DPRK to take denuclearization steps and help facilitate the denuclearization negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington.

According to the Blue House, ROK President Moon Jae-in planned to visit Washington in early April for a summit meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. It would come after the second summit between Kim and Trump ended with no agreement in late February in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.

The ministry said the ROK will seek to create conditions for the resumption of the currently stalled inter-Korean cooperation projects, the Kaesong Industrial Complex and the tours to Mount Kumgang.

DPRK leader Kim Jong Un (R) shakes hands with ROK's chief delegator Chung Eui-yong in Pyongyang, March 5, 2018. /VCG Photo

The jointly-run factory park in DPRK's border town of Kaesong and the tour of ROK residents to DPRK's scenic resort of Mount Kumgang have been suspended since 2016 and 2008, respectively.

To tackle the humanitarian issue, the ministry will seek to regularize the video reunions and the exchange of video letters between the Korean families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.

Next week, ROK Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo will visit Washington and hold defense ministers' talks in Washington with acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan on Monday.

During the meeting, how to militarily support the diplomatic efforts for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the denuclearization negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington will be discussed.

The two defense chiefs will also discuss the future joint military drills between the two allies, and share the assessment on security situation on the Korean Peninsula.

(Cover: DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and ROK President Moon Jae-in pose for a photo with children ahead of the inter-Korean summit at the truce village of Panmunjom, April 27, 2018. /VCG Photo)

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