We now connect to our Blue House correspondent Hwang Hojun.
Hojun, so we hear that President Moon and Kim Jong-un will visit Mt. Baekdusan together
tomorrow?
Daniel, if we said before that there aren't that many factors that would surprise us reporters
during the third inter-Korean summit this year, well,...
Blue House spokesperson Kim Eui-kyeom's abrupt announcement about President Moon's itinerary
tomorrow was one of many that proved us wrong today.
Take a listen.
"President Moon Jae-in and Chairman Kim Jong-un will visit Mt. Baekdusan together tomorrow.
Chairman Kim suggested the visit, which President Moon accepted."
The announcement elicited probably the loudest exclamations from the reporters here at the
Seoul Media Press Center.
According to pool reports on the Q and A the spokesperson had in Pyeongyang soon after
the announcement, the two leaders will head to the southern summit of Baekdusan via a
cable car,... and if weather permits, they will also head down to Cheonji, the crater
lake on top of the mountain.
The first ladies, the South Korean delegation and the pool reporters are expected to accompany
the two leaders,... and they will all return back tro Seoul from the Samjiyeon Airport,
the closest airport from the mountain.
Tomorrow's visit to Baekdusan Mountain will be a dream come true for President Moon.
I'll remind you, the South Korean President said to his North Korean counterpart in April
during the 1st inter-Korean summit that he wishes to visit the mountain from the North
Korean side and that he hopes Kim Jong-un would make this wish become a reality.
He reiterated his dream of climbing the mountain as soon as he arrived in Pyeongyang, while
still on the plane.
Definitely something to look forward to tomorrow.
So Hojun, let's talk about the declaration that was signed betweent the two leaders earlier
today.
Senior Presidential Press Secretary Yoon Young-chan gave a recap of the agreement earlier in the
afternoon, right?
Correct.
He underscored that the Pyeongyang Declaration talks about the denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula, improving inter-Korean relations, and deescalating military tensions.
He stressed that Pyongyang expressed its willingness to destroy the Yeongbyeon nuclear site,…
calling it North Korea's practical determination for denuclearization that would end the era
of war and open a new era of peace and co-prosperity.
This was probably aimed at the U.S. government, which has raised concerns about North Korea's
willingness to actually follow through the denuclearization process.
The U.S. has demanded Pyeongyang prove its commitment, such as providing a list of its
nuclear facilities.
North Korea in return demanded that an official declaration ending the Korean War must come
first.
The conflict led to the sudden cancellation of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's planned
visit to Pyeongyang in August.
Yoon said President Moon will brief his U.S. counterpart, President Trump, on the sidelines
of the UN General Assembly next week,… on both the disclosed and confidential results.
That is set to take place next Monday.
And finally, regarding North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's promise to visit Seoul by the
end of this year, Yoon was wary about jumping to any conclusions such as an official declaration
to end the Korean War then,… but he said the fact of a North Korean leader physically
visiting the South Korean capital holds great significance for inter-Korean relations and
the security landscape of East Asia.
Now, just to give you some updates from the additional footages coming in, the two leaders
and their wives attended a luncheon at the Okryu restaurant, famous for its Pyeongyang
cold noodles.
And, while no confirmation has been made yet, President Moon should have had dinner by now.
He was scheduled to eat at a local restaurant called the Daedong River Seafood Restaurant,...
where Pyongyang residents are known to commonly dine.
The South Korean President is scheduled to watch North Korea's signature Mass Game…."Brilliant
Fatherland",... wher we can expect a short speech from the South Korean President, which
will be broadcast live.
Daniel.