North, South Korea To Hold Third Summit In September

North and South Korea have agreed to hold a summit in North Korea’s capital city, Pyongyang in September.

Both countries on Monday, made the announcement of the meeting which will be the third one-on-one meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

The two sides “agreed at the meeting to hold a South-North summit in Pyongyang in September as planned”, the joint statement said, without giving a precise date.

The two first met in April, pledging to forge closer relations and work to formally end the Korean War in an agreement called the Panmunjom Declaration.

Their second meeting came in May at the border truce village of Panmunjom, within the demilitarised zone (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas.

The two Koreas held a fresh round of talks at the DMZ on Monday to discuss the third summit, led by the South’s Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and chairman of the North’s reunification committee Ri Son Gwon.

“As the Pyongyang meeting of the leaders of the north and south is being discussed, I think talking about the issue will provide answers to the wishes of the people,” Ri said in his opening statement before the talks.

“If the issues that were raised at the talks aren’t resolved, unexpected problems could emerge and the issues that are already on the schedule may face difficulties,” Mr. Ri said at the end of the meeting.

The South Korean delegate, Mr. Cho said the next summit in Pyongyang would help improve cross-border ties by allowing the two leaders to discuss the North’s denuclearization and how to establish peace on the Korean peninsula.