Koreas to have more consultations to determine date for Sept. summit: official

SEOUL, Aug. 14 (Yonhap) -- South and North Korea will continue to have consultations to determine the exact date for a summit that they had agreed to hold in September during recent talks, a unification ministry official said Tuesday.

The two Koreas had high-level talks at the truce village of Panmunjom on Monday and agreed to hold a summit between their leaders "within September." They stopped short of unveiling any specific date for the meeting.

Speculation, however, arose after the two sides made seemingly contradicting remarks on the timetable. The North said that the date was determined but not disclosed, while the South said that more consultations are needed to make a final decision.

"The date and others will be determined by holding follow-up consultations," the official told reporters on the condition of anonymity. "Details, such as the date, will be decided by taking into consideration various circumstances."

The official added that the two reached the agreement on the summit in September with a shared wish to hold such a meeting "at the earliest date possible."

If held, it would mark the third of its kind between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, following one in April and another in May. And it would also represent the first time in more than a decade for a South Korean president to visit Pyongyang for a summit.

During the April talks, the two leaders adopted the Panmunjom Declaration in which they agreed to work toward "complete" denuclearization, halt hostile acts against each other and expand cross-border exchanges. They also agreed to meet again in Pyongyang this fall.

kokobj@yna.co.kr
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