Koreas hold third working-level talks to prepare summit

SEOUL, April 23 (Yonhap) -- Officials from South Korea and North Korea gathered again Monday to discuss details of a meeting between their leaders later this week.

The meeting was held at the joint security area of Panmunjom inside the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone, also the venue for the upcoming summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The inter-Korean summit will be held Friday.

The working-level talks marked the third of their kind since the North Korean leader agreed on March 5 to meet Moon and U.S. President Donald Trump for separate summits aimed at denuclearizing his country.

Kim has said his country will be willing to give up its nuclear arsenal in exchange for a security guarantee. The Trump-Kim meeting is expected to be held in May or early June.

The working-level talks are largely aimed at deciding protocols and security measures for the two leaders.

Officials from Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said security measures were especially sensitive as the upcoming summit will be the first of its kind to be held on South Korean soil.

The Moon-Kim meeting will mark the third inter-Korean summit. The two previous summits were both held in Pyongyang in 2000 and 2007. The latest summit is set to be held on the South Korean side of Panmunjom, also known as the truce village.

The two Koreas technically remain at war as the 1950-53 Korean War ended only with an armistice.

Cheong Wa Dae officials have said the two leaders may discuss ways to replace the Korean armistice with a peace treaty when they meet this week.

Seoul and Pyongyang have already set up a direct telephone line to allow direct and frequent discussions between their leaders.

Cheong Wa Dae officials earlier said the leaders may hold a telephone conversation before they meet in person this week.

A trial run staged Friday showed no technical problems in connecting Moon's Cheong Wa Dae office with Kim's office at the state affairs council.

bdk@yna.co.kr
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