Anchor: The leaders of South Korea and the United States held summit talks on Friday at the White House for the first time since U.S. President Joe Biden took office earlier this year. The two presidents discussed a wide array of topics including North Korea and vaccine cooperation. 
Hong Suhryung has more.

Report: The first face-to-face summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden took place at the White House on Friday.
 
Following the meetings that lasted nearly three hours, the two leaders shared the result at a joint press conference, discussing alliance issues and North Korea, among others.
 
President Moon Jae-in announced the allies’ decision to terminate the bilateral missile guidelines, which had restricted the range and payload of missiles developed in Seoul.
 
The move allows Seoul to obtain complete missile sovereignty for the first time in 42 years, after the guidelines was set in 1979.
 
Regarding North Korea, the leaders said that they agreed to approach the issues through dialogue.
 
President Biden said they would engage diplomatically with the North and take pragmatic steps to reduce tensions, moving toward the ultimate goal of “complete denuclearization” of the Korean Peninsula.
 
Biden also announced the appointment of Sung Kim, acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs and former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, as the new U.S. Special Envoy for North Korea.
 
Biden said he would be willing to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un if there is an actual commitment from Kim’s part involving his nuclear arsenal.

With regard to the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine situation, the top leaders said they would increase vaccine production through cooperation. Biden also said that the U.S. would provide COVID-19 vaccines for the 550-thousand Korean military personnel.
 
The summit between the two allies was only the second in-person summit for President Biden since his inauguration in January, the first being with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
Hong Suhryung, KBS WORLD Radio News.

[Photo : YONHAP News]