2018 Inter-Korean Summit Pyeongyang

1. Progress toward the Agreement to Hold the Summit

President Moon Jae-in remained committed to the realization of the Berlin Initiative after officially outlining this plan for lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula on July 6, 2017. He consistently communicated to North Korea his will to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula on every possible occasion, including through his address on Liberation Day.

The journey toward permanent peace was undertaken in earnest on January 1, 2018, when during his New Year's speech, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission Kim Jong Un of North Korea finally responded to President Moon's call for dialogue. Soon after, government officials from the two Koreas began to busily cross sides for talks and discussions on forming a unified Korean team, which competed in the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games, and this resulted in its success as an Olympics of Peace. The two Koreas did not rest on their laurels and continued to move forward to capitalize on this momentum. Thus, the first historic inter-Korean summit of 2018 was held on April 27 and the Panmunjeom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity, and Unification of the Korean Peninsula came into being.

Agreement to Hold Another Inter-Korean Summit in the Fall Specified in the Panmunjeom Declaration

While reaffirming the spirit of all existing agreements reached between the two Koreas, the Panmunjeom Declaration is evaluated as having set a new milestone in the journey toward the significant, full-scale development of inter-Korean relations and the elimination of military tensions as well as a commitment to non-aggression, complete denuclearization and the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. The declaration also specifies the agreement of the two leaders to hold another inter-Korean summit in Pyeongyang in the fall, highlighting their commitment to having regular meetings.

Agreement Reached during the Fourth High-Level Inter-Korean Talks to Hold the Summit in Pyeongyang in September

The two Koreas have been implementing the agreements specified in the Panmunjeom Declaration one by one, starting with the June 1 high-level inter-Korean talks for the implementation of the Panmunjeom Declaration. It was during the fourth high-level inter-Korean talks held on August 13 at Tongilgak on the northern side of Panmunjeom that a concrete, in-depth discussion on the two leaders' pledge for the fall summit took place. Following the talks, the South and North issued a joint statement declaring the holding of the next inter-Korean summit in Pyeongyang in September.

Fourth High-Level Inter-Korean Talks (held at Tongilgak on the northern side of Panmunjeom on August 13, 2018)

• Delegates:

South Korea

Head of Delegation: Cho Myoung-gyon, Minister of Unification

Members: Chun Hae-sung, Vice Minister of Unification; Nam Gwan-pyo, Second Deputy Director of National Security; and Ahn Moon-hyun, Deputy Director-General of the Prime Minister's Secretariat

North Korea

Head of Delegation: Ri Son Gwon, Chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland

Members: Pak Yong Il, Vice Chairman of the above Committee; Kim Yun Hyok, Vice Railroad Minister; Pak Ho Yong, Vice Minister for Land and Environmental Protection; and Pak Myong Chol, Vice Chairman of the National Economic Cooperation Committee

• Topics discussed: overall evaluation of the implementation of the Panmunjeom Declaration, future improvement measures, and preparations for the 2018 Inter-Korean Summit Pyeongyang

• Meetings held: one general meeting, one meeting of chief delegates, and two meetings of delegates

Special Envoys to Pyeongyang Reaching an Agreement on the Schedule of the 2018 Inter-Korean Summit Pyeongyang (September 18-20)

On August 31, 2018, the South Korean Government proposed the second dispatch of special presidential envoys to Pyeongyang on September 5.
On the same day, North Korea accepted South Korea's proposal. Hence, on September 5, the special presidential envoys of the Moon Jae-in Administration visited Pyeongyang for the second time.
The delegation consisted of Chung Eui-yong, Cheong Wa Dae Director of National Security; Suh Hoon, Chief of the National Intelligence Service; Chun Hae-sung, Vice Minister of Unification; Kim Sang-gyun, Second Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service; and Yun Kun-young, Cheong Wa Dae Director for State Affairs Planning and Situation Room. The delegation delivered a letter from President Moon Jae-in to Chairman Kim Jong Un and held extensive, in-depth talks on the organization of the September summit and other inter-Korean issues. Through the talks, the two Koreas agreed to hold the third inter-Korean summit of 2018 in Pyeongyang for three days and two nights from September 18 to 20.

2. Significance and Agenda of the 2018 Inter-Korean Summit Pyeongyang

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Third Meeting of the Two Leaders Based on Mutual Trust

The 2018 Inter-Korean Summit Pyeongyang is the fifth inter-Korean summit since national division and the third during the Moon Jae-in Administration. It is also the third meeting of the two leaders over the course of only six months in 2018. Many must remember the scene of the leaders of the South and North hand in hand crossing over the Military Demarcation Line on April 27.
Their embrace at the May 2018 Inter-Korean Summit, coming only one month after the April 2018 Inter-Korean Summit, also made history. At the third meeting, the two leaders will be discussing all pending issues facing the two Koreas in a candid manner and decisively open up a new chapter of coprosperity for inter-Korean relations based on the mutual trust they have built up over the course of this short yet significant time.

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Reaffirmation of the Commitment to the Panmunjeom Declaration and Its Implementation

The follow-up measures for the implementation of the April 27 Panmunjeom Declaration will be discussed at the 2018 Inter-Korean Summit Pyeongyang. The two sides will jointly review and evaluate the current status and outcomes of the implementation of the declaration and set future directions to more faithfully implement the agreements specified in the declaration. The two leaders are expected to drive the Korean Peninsula one step closer to peace and coprosperity by reaffirming their shared commitment to the implementation of the Panmunjeom Declaration and thereby deepening trust.

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Reinforcement of the Virtuous Cycle of the Development of Inter-Korean Relations and Denuclearization, and Discussions on the Easing of Military Tensions

The two sides agreed to discuss practical measures to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and other ways to bring permanent peace and co-prosperity to the Peninsula at the 2018 Inter-Korean Summit Pyeongyang. As Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula to President Moon Jae-in's special envoys who visited Pyeongyang on September 5, in-depth discussions on ways to proceed with denuclearization are expected to take place during the summit.
Furthermore, this summit is anticipated to solidify the groundwork for inter-Korean relations and U.S.-North Korea relations to move forward in parallel by advancing the North's denuclearization and its relations with the United States through dialogue and cooperation between the two Koreas.
This summit will also seek specific measures to fortify mutual trust and prevent armed conflicts between the two Koreas. As a result, it will carry on the ongoing efforts to eliminate military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

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Peace on the Korean Peninsula—A New Future That Has Already Begun

The 2018 Inter-Korean Summit Pyeongyang will mark the third time a sitting President of the Republic of Korea has visited Pyeongyang, following the summits in 2000 and 2007. It will also be the first visit to Pyeongyang by a South Korean president in 11 years. President Moon seeks to gain momentum to take bolder steps toward peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula at the 2018 Inter-Korean Summit Pyeongyang, following in the footsteps of President Kim Dae-jung in 2000 and President Roh Moo-hyun in 2007. In April, President Moon and Chairman Kim sent a message to the entire world that a new journey toward peace on the Korea Peninsula has been undertaken through the April 2018 Inter-Korean Summit. In September, the two leaders will show that another great milestone has been reached in pressing forward for a "new future".

‣ About the Two Inter-Korean Summits Held in Pyeongyang in 2000 and 2007

2000 Inter-Korean Summit(June 13-15)

• Progress toward the Summit

- March 9, 2000: President Kim Dae-jung issued the Berlin Declaration.

①Providing support for the North's economic recovery through inter-Korean economic cooperation
②Putting an end to the Cold War and realizing peace and coexistence on the Korean Peninsula
③Organizing reunions of families separated in the South and North by the Korean War
④ Opening dialogue between the South and North Korean authorities

- March 9-April 8, 2000: Special envoys from the South and North met four times and agreed to hold an inter-Korean summit from June 12 to 14 in Pyeongyang.

*Special envoys: Park Jie-won, Minister of Culture and Tourism, from the South and Song Ho-kyung, Vice Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, from the North

- June 13-15, 2000: The inter-Korean summit was held in Pyeongyang and the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration was adopted.

*The Joint Declaration consisted of five agreements, including the unification direction of the two Koreas, inter-Korean economic cooperation, the resolution of humanitarian issues, and the resumption of dialogue between the authorities of the two sides.

• Major Remarks by President Kim Dae-jung

- “We will not be able to resolve all at once the bitterness that has accumulated over the past half century. But well begun is half done. (Remarks on arrival in Pyeongyang, June 13, 2000)

- “I would like to quote a proverb in the North that says, ‘United strength and mind wins over heaven.’ When all the Korean people join forces, there is nothing we cannot achieve. When we follow that ideal, I am certain that the division will be recorded as just another past event.” (Remarks at a welcome banquet at the People's Palace of Culture on June 13, 2000)

- “A new age has dawned for our nation. We have reached a turning point so that we can put an end to the history of 55 years of territorial division. It is my hope that my visit to the North has contributed to peace on the Korean Peninsula, exchanges and cooperation between the South and North as well as to the unification of our homeland.” (Remarks on returning to Seoul following the inter-Korean summit in Pyeongyang, June 15, 2000)

2007 Inter-Korean Summit(October 2-4, 2007)

• Progress toward the Summit

- February 2003: The Roh Moo-hyun Administration was inaugurated and proclaimed that it would consistently push ahead with the policy of peace and prosperity.

* Peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue, establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, pursuit of the coprosperity of Northeast Asia, etc.

- August 2-3 and August 4-5, 2007: Special Envoy Kim Man-bok visited the North twice and drew up the agreement to hold an inter-Korean summit from August 28 to August 30, 2007, in Pyeongyang.

- August 18, 2007: North Korea requested to postpone the inter-Korean summit until early October due to recovery work from flooding.

- October 2-4, 2007: The inter-Korean summit was held and the Declaration on the Advancement of South-North Korean Relations, Peace and Prosperity, also known as the October 4 Declaration, was adopted.

* The two sides discussed ways to bring permanent peace, co-prosperity, reconciliation, and unification to the Korean Peninsula and issued the declaration consisting of eight agreements.

• Major Remarks by President Roh Moo-hyun

- “There are historic duties entrusted to me. Guided by a cool-headed judgment about the situation surrounding us in this era, I will do my best to fulfill my duties.” (Message on departing for the 2007 South-North Summit in Pyeongyang, October 2, 2007)

- “Now, I am walking across this forbidden line as the President. After my return from the North, many more people will be able to travel back and forth between the two Koreas. This forbidden line will then gradually fade out. The barrier between the South and North will eventually crumble one day.” (Remarks on crossing over the Military Demarcation Line, October 2, 2007)

- “Most of all, I came to realize the importance of trust once again through this summit. I again learned that the endeavor to understand and remain considerate of each other based on mutual respect is the key to tearing down the wall of distrust.” (Remarks at a dinner, October 3, 2007)

- "I believe that I returned with much more than I originally expected; what I reaped in Pyeongyang could not all fit in the wrapping cloth I brought from Seoul." (Report on the outcome of the Summit, October 4, 2007)