Cheong Wa Dae seeks joint participation of Moon, Kim at UN General Assembly

South Korean presidential office Cheong Wa Dae plans to realize a joint participation of the two Korean leaders in the United Nations General Assembly mid-September, in New York City, through a third inter-Korean summit since South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s inauguration. It intends to provide a breakthrough to the stagnated nuclear negotiations between the United States and North Korea, and furthermore make a war-ending declaration become a reality this year.

Presidential spokesperson Kim Ui-gyeom expected this Sunday that the two Koreas would decide during the inter-Korean meeting of high-ranking officials, scheduled this Monday, regarding the timing and venue of the inter-Korean summit, which was agreed upon at the April 27 Panmunjom declaration, and the scale of a relevant delegation to the North. Cheong Wa Dae has already had behind-the-scenes discussions with the North on when and where the summit is held. The final result is expected to be announced during the Aug. 13 inter-Korean high-ranking meeting at Panmunjom. As of now, the two Koreas’ leaders will very likely meet in Pyongyang late this month.

Cheong Wa Dae plans on persuading North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to participate in the U.N. General Assembly on the occasion of the third inter-Korean summit. Although Pyongyang already said that a ministerial-level official would give a keynote speech at the U.N. General Assembly this year, Seoul intends to have any chance of ensuring a surprise occasion, on President Moon’s visit to the North. A Cheong Wa Dae officialsaid that if the two leaders jointly participate in the U.N. General Assembly to confirm‎ their determination to denuclearization, its binding force would get even stronger. The presidential office considers that this will lead to the normalization of the negotiation process for denuclearization, and ensure active economic cooperation between the two Koreas, which has been stalled by sanctions by the international community.


Sang-Jun Han alwaysj@donga.com