The proposal of the Minister of Unification in a press conference. Moon: dissolve frozen relations. It would be the first summit since December 2015.
Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Seoul is ready to talk with Pyongyang. The South Korean Minister for Unification Cho Myoung-gyon announced today at a press conference, proposing a high-level inter-Korean meeting on January 9, in Panmunjom, a village in the demilitarized area.
The subject in question is the participation of the socialist country in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, according to Seoul "a revolutionary opportunity" to ease tensions in the peninsula. The proposal for the summit comes in the aftermath of an opening signal launched by surprise by the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. During his speech at the beginning of the year, Kim offered an olive branch to Seoul, expressing his willingness to take part in the Olympic Games to be held between February 9th and 25th in South Korea.
"We think that the suspended inter-Korean communication channels must be immediately restored," Cho said. "We wish a positive response from the North".
South Korean President Moon Jae-in welcomed Kim's words, reaffirming during a cabinet meeting that it is necessary to "dissolve the frozen North-South relations". If the summit took place it would be the first meeting between the two Koreas since December 2015.
Relations with Washington are still very tense. In the same New Year's speech, Kim reiterated his threats, claiming he is now able to hit anywhere in the US and that he has a nuclear button "always on the table".