(2nd LD) Moon, Kim take historic trip to summit of Mount Paekdu

(ATTN: UPDATES with reports of the leaders' trip to Mount Paekdu, minor changes in paras 5-7, 10, 19; RESTRUCTURES; REPLACES photo)

SEOUL/PYONGYANG, Sept. 20 (Joint Press Corps-Yonhap) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un embarked on a rare trip Thursday to the summit of Mount Paekdu in an event designed to enhance their personal ties and also highlight the success of their bilateral summit in Pyongyang.

The leaders left Pyongyang's Sunan International Airport at around 7:30 a.m., each using his own presidential jet. Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, were first to arrive at Samjiyon airport near the North Korean mountain.

The North Korean first couple welcomed Moon and his wife, Kim Jung-sook, at 8:20 a.m., according to Moon's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.

Moon arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday, using his Air Force One. For his trip to Mount Paekdu, however, he was forced to use the smaller Air Force Two as the Samjiyon airport is said to have a short runway that can only land small aircraft.

The leaders of the two Koreas began their joint climb in a vehicle shortly after their arrival at Mount Paekdu.

The vehicle took the first couples of the two Koreas all the way up to Changgun-bong, the peak of Mount Paekdu.

The Moons and the Kims began their joint descent to Chonji, the famous crater of the volcanic mountain, in a cable car at 10:10 a.m. Ten minutes later the two first couples began a joint stroll around the crater.

Mount Paekdu is the tallest and possibly the most famous mountain in Korea that is also frequented by many South Koreans as it sits on the border with China.

Only a handful of South Koreans are said to have ever visited the mountain from the North Korean side and mostly for research purposes.

The joint trip of the leaders highlighted the recent rapprochement between the divided Koreas that technically remain at war.

Moon's trip to North Korea marked his third bilateral summit with Kim.

It was largely aimed at brokering a deal between the North and the United States to restart their denuclearization talks.

Still, the countries have also agreed to greatly reduce their military tension, promising to never use their military force against each other under any circumstances.

The latest inter-Korean summit may also be considered a success in that it has apparently led to a resumption of U.S.-North Korea dialogue.

"On the basis of these important commitments, the United States is prepared to engage immediately in negotiations to transform U.S.-DPRK relations," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in Washington, only hours after Moon and Kim announced their joint declaration in Pyongyang. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The U.S.-North Korea talks have stalled since U.S. President Donald Trump called off Pompeo's scheduled trip to North Korea in July, citing what he called a lack of progress in the North's denuclearization process.

The North Korean leader has offered to permanently dismantle his country's key nuclear facility in Yongbyon in return for corresponding steps from the U.S.

Moon will travel to the U.S. next week for a bilateral summit with Trump.

The South Korean president was expected to fly directly from Samjiyon to Seoul later in the day, ending his three-day trip to North Korea, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

bdk@yna.co.kr
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