(3rd LD) Koreas agree to start Moon-Kim summit in morning, hold official dinner

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details of press briefing in paras 9-11)

SEOUL, April 23 (Yonhap) -- The historic meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will include an official dinner at the joint security area of Panmunjom, an official from Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.

At a working-level meeting held at Panmunjom earlier Monday, the two Koreas also agreed that the summit will begin before noon Friday, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kwun Hyuk-ki told a press briefing.

"The South and the North have held three rounds of working-level talks on protocol, security measures and media coverage of the April 27 summit at Panmunjom. Today, they reached a final agreement," said Kwun, who is also a member of South Korea's five-member delegation to the working-level dialogue.

The two Koreas have already agreed to allow live broadcasts of what will be the third inter-Korean summit.

At the latest meeting, the North agreed to allow South Korean broadcasts of the summit even before the North Korean leader crosses the inter-Korean border, according to Kwun.

The Moon-Kim meeting is set to be held on the South Korean side of Panmunjom inside the heavily-fortified demilitarized zone, making Kim the first North Korean leader to step on South Korean soil since at least the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

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

North Korea will send an advance team to the South Korean side of Panmunjom on Wednesday to make final preparations for the summit.

The spokesman did not mention how Kim will cross the border into the South, but chances are high he will travel on foot, judging by remarks from another presidential official.

The official refused to confirm when asked by reporters whether the first ladies of the two Koreas will accompany their husbands during the trips.

Cheong Wa Dae chief of staff Im Jong-seok will hold a press briefing at the main press center in Goyang, just north of Seoul, on Thursday to give details of what was agreed on Monday, including the possible attendance of the first ladies, Kwun said.

The inter-Korean summit is expected to be followed by an unprecedented U.S.-North Korea summit in May or early June.

Cheong Wa Dae officials have said the two summits aimed at ridding the North of its nuclear ambitions may also mark the start of efforts to formally end the Korean War with a peace treaty.

The upcoming summits come after the North Korean leader said his country may be willing to give up its nuclear arsenal in exchange for a security guarantee while meeting with Moon's top security adviser Chung Eui-yong in Pyongyang on March 5.

Since Chung's trip, the two Koreas have set up a direct telephone line between the offices of their leaders.

Cheong Wa Dae officials earlier said Moon and Kim may hold their first-ever conversation via phone before they meet in person this week.

bdk@yna.co.kr
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