North and South Korean Leaders to Meet In Pyongyang

North and South Korean Leaders to Meet In Pyongyang

North and South Korean officials say their leaders will meet in North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang, in September.

The announcement followed high-level talks between representatives of both sides on Monday. Officials met in Panmunjom, the neutral village in the border area that separates the two Koreas.

In their statement, the officials did not include a date for the meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Kim and Moon met in April for the first time in Panmunjom. In May, they met there again. Moon would become the third South Korean leader to visit Pyongyang if the September meeting takes place.

The meeting would continue a series of diplomatic moves between the two Koreas.

Tensions between the sides eased when Kim accepted Moon's offer for North Koreans to take part in the Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang in February. That helped lead to historic talks between Kim and American President Donald Trump in June. The two leaders met and signed an agreement in Singapore.

The agreement included a promise from North Korea to “work toward” denuclearization of the Korea Peninsula.

I’m Caty Weaver.

VOA News reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story said that Moon would be the first South Korean leader to visit Pyongyang. Moon would be the third.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

denuclearization - v. to remove nuclear weapons from a country or place