남북고위급회담 13일에 판문점 통일각서 개최
We are hearing that the two Koreas have agreed to hold another round of high-level talks next Monday.
And the main agenda is preparing for another summit between the leaders of Seoul and Pyongyang.
For details, we have our unification ministry correspondent Oh Jung-hee on the line.
Jung-hee, what are you hearing?
Daniel, a very sudden announcement from the unification ministry.
The two Koreas will hold high-level talks next Monday at Tongil-gak, a building located on the North Korean side of the truce village of Panmunjom.
This will be the fourth set of high-level talks between Seoul and Pyongyang this year.
And Monday's talks are expected to be another big round of talks... as Seoul has officially said... the main talking point will be planning the next inter-Korean summit.
When South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met for the first time in April, they agreed that they would meet again in Pyongyang in the fall.
North Korea suggested holding these high-level talks to plan for that proposed summit.
They contacted South Korea this morning and Seoul agreed to the talks.
Now, this sudden announcement has led to speculation over whether the third inter-Korean summit of this year could be held earlier than stipulated in the April summit agreement, dubbed the Panmunjom Declaration.
Some within South Korea have speculated that President Moon and Kim Jong-un could meet as early as later this month... to try to find a breakthrough to the North Korea-U.S. nuclear negotiations... which have slowed down due to differences in views on declaring a formal end to the Korean War.
Seoul's unification ministry says... Seoul and Pyongyang will also check on how well they're implementing the Panmunjom Declaration and discuss further events,... like holding a concert by a North Korean art troupe and hosting inter-Korean basketball games in Seoul.
That's all I have for now, back to you, Daniel.
