Anchor: With about three weeks remaining this year, no plans have been set for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s possible visit to Seoul before the year’s end. The top office in Seoul says it won’t rush, leaving open the possibility of the reclusive leader making the trip early next year.
Our Bae Joo-yon has more.
Report: Presidential Spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told reporters on Sunday that nothing has been fixed on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s possible trip to the South Korean capital city, adding that Seoul has no intention to rush the North.
Kim said the two Koreas will continue to coordinate views on a schedule, stressing that both President Moon Jae-in and Kim are set on implementing the Pyongyang Joint Declaration which they signed during their summit in September.
Meanwhile, a key official at the top office said that at this point, a decision on whether Kim will visit Seoul within the year does not seem imminent. According to the official, Seoul has sufficiently conveyed its point on the matter but Pyongyang has yet to respond.
The official’s remark suggests that the presidential office may be predicting Kim will make the trip next year instead of this year.
It appears that Pyongyang is having difficulty coming to a decision due to security reasons and as it believes that even if another inter-Korean summit takes place, it would only be able to get limited economic profits given that international sanctions remain in place.
A senior presidential official said there is no deadline for the North to respond about Kim taking a trip to Seoul within the year.
Many in the top office had predicted that Pyongyang would notify Seoul of Kim’s decision by Sunday on the assumption that Kim would likely visit Seoul after the 17th, which marks the seventh anniversary of the death of Kim’s father, and before the 24th, which will mark the birthday of Kim’s grandmother.
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.