| September 3. | - The two
Koreas form unified teams in table tennis and swimming for
the 2018 Asian Para Games and conduct joint training in
Beijing (until September 6).
|
| September 4. | - The leaders
of the ROK and the US talk on the phone.
- President
Moon communicated the plan to send special envoys to North
Korea; US President Trump asked President Moon to be the
chief negotiator representing both North Korea and the US;
and the two leaders agreed to consider holding a summit on
the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. |
| September 5. |
- President Moon’s special envoys visit the North, meet
with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and deliver him the
letter from the President.
- Special envoys (five
persons): National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong,
National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon, Vice
Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung, senior NIS official Kim
Sang-gyun, and Presidential Secretary for State Affairs Yun
Kun-young. |
| September 6. |
- The National Security Office
director announces the outcome of the special envoys’ visit
to the North.
① Holding the inter-Korean summit in
Pyeongyang on September 18-20, and a working-level meeting
concerning protocol, security, and the press in Panmunjeom
early next week.
② North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
reaffirmed his commitment to complete denuclearization of
the Korean Peninsula and expressed his intentions to
cooperate with the US.
③ Agreeing on specific plans to
build mutual trust and prevent military clashes at the
summit meeting.
④ Opening the inter-Korean joint
liaison office before the summit.
- Kim Jong Un
expressed his intentions to realize denuclearization of the
Korean Peninsula within President Trump’s first term of
office. |
| September 6. |
- President Moon Jae-in participates
in the first meeting of the preparation committee for the
2018 Pyeongyang Inter-Korean Summit.
- Chairperson:
Presidential Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok Members:
Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon (General Secretary),
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, Defense Minister Song
Young-moo, Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Do
Jong-hwan, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport
Kim Hyun-mee, Minister of the Office of Government Policy
Coordination Hong Nam-ki, National Intelligence Service
Director Suh Hoon, National Security Office Director Chung
Eui-yong, Presidential Chief of Staff for Policy Jang
Ha-sung, head of the Presidential Security Service Ju
Young-hoon, and Minister of the Korea Forest Service Kim
Jae-hyun.
- Establishing a fourth subcommittee on
verification of implementation of the Panmunjeom Declaration
alongside the three original subcommittees on agenda,
communication and public relations, and financing and
arrangement. |
| September 6. |
- The two Koreas hold a
working-level meeting on the resumption of joint excavation
of Manwoldae, a Goryeo-era royal palace in Gaeseong.
-
Agreeing to conduct the 8th joint survey of Manwoldae and a
project to preserve relics from September 27 to December 27,
and to hold the launch ceremony on October 2.
|
| September 7. |
- President Moon Jae-in, in his interview with Kompas,
Indonesia’s largest daily newspaper, states that his goal is
to make irreversible progress in the journey toward peace
and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, which began based on
the consensus of the leaders, by the end of the year.
|
| September 11. | - A motion to request National Assembly
ratification of the Panmunjeom Declaration is approved at a
cabinet meeting and is submitted to the National
Assembly.
|
| September
13-14. | - The two Koreas hold the
working-level military talks at the Thongil House on the
northern side of Panmunjeom.
- Delegates: (South) Army
Col. Cho Yong-geun (chief), director of the North Korea
Policy Division at the Ministry of National Defense; Navy
Capt. Ahn Sang-min, director of the Maritime Operations
Division of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Lee Jong-joo,
director of the Inter-Korean Dialogue Division 1 at the
Ministry of Unification. (North) Army Col. Um Chang Nam
(chief), Army Col. Kim Dong Il, and Army Lieut. Col. Ri Sung
Hyuk
- Discussing the matters concerning the signing
of the Agreement on the Implementation of the Historic
Panmunjeom Declaration in the Military Domain.
|
| September 14. |
- The two Koreas hold the high-level talks to prepare for
the 2018 Pyeongyang Inter-Korean Summit at the Thongil House
on the northern side of Panmunjeom.
- Delegates:
(South) senior NIS official Kim Sang-gyun (chief),
Presidential Secretary for State Affairs Yun Kun-young,
Director Kwon Hyuk-ki of the presidential office’s
Chunchugwan Press Center, and Director of Presidential
Security Service Choi Byeong-il.
(North) Kim Jong Un’s
chief secretary Kim Chang Son (chief), Deputy Commander of
Guard Command Kim Chol Kyu, senior official Ri Hyon of the
United Front Department, and official Kim Byong Sup of the
Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Workers’ Party of
Korea.
- The two sides agreed that an advance team
will visit the North on September 15 by land and the
President and the delegation will fly to Pyeongyang via
direct flight over the West Sea. |
| September 14. | - The
inter-Korean joint liaison office opens in Gaeseong.
-
The directors held the first meeting after the opening
ceremony.
*Directors: (South) Vice Unification
Minister Chun Hae-sung (North) Vice Chairman of the
Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country Jon
Jong Su. |
| September 15. |
- The preparation committee for the
2018 Pyeongyang Inter-Korean Summit holds the second
meeting.
|
| September 15. |
- The advance team for the 2018
Pyeongyang Inter-Korean Summit visits the North.
- The
93-member team including Presidential Secretary for
Unification Policy Suh Ho (chief); Director Kwon Hyuk-ki of
the presidential office’s Chunchugwan Press Center; staff
members involved in protocol, security, the press, and live
broadcasting; and reporters. |
| September 16. | - The ROK
government announces the entourage for the 2018 Pyeongyang
Inter-Korean Summit.
- Official entourage (14
persons): National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon,
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, Unification Minister Cho
Myoung-gyon, Defense Minister Song Young-moo, Minister of
Culture, Sports, and Tourism Do Jong-hwan, Minister of Land,
Infrastructure, and Transport Kim Hyun-mee, Minister of
Oceans and Fisheries Kim Young-choon, Minister of Korea
Forest Service Kim Jae-hyun, National Security Office
Director Chung Eui-yong, presidential aide for economic
affairs Kim Hyun-chul, head of the Presidential Security
Service Ju Young-hoon, Blue House spokesperson Kim
Eui-kyeom, presidential protocol secretary Kim Jong-chun,
and presidential secretary for state affairs Yun
Kun-young
- Special entourage (52 persons): People
from all walks of life – politics, business, culture, art,
sports, religion, and civil society. |
| September 18-20. | - The
2018 Pyeongyang Inter-Korean Summit is held. - Day 1:
Holding the summit; meeting with North Korean counterparts
in each field; and watching artistic performances and having
a welcome reception.
- Day 2: Holding the summit and
agreeing to the Pyeongyang Joint Declaration of September
2018; signing the Agreement on the Implementation of the
Historic Panmunjeom Declaration in the Military Domain;
holding a press conference; having a luncheon together;
planting a tree; visiting the Mansudae Art Studio; having a
dinner together; watching a mass gymnastics performance; and
President Moon’s speech before Pyeongyang citizens.
-
Day 3: Visiting the Mt. Baekdu area and having a farewell luncheon.
< The Pyeongyang Joint Declaration of September
2018 >
1. The two Koreas agreed to end military
hostilities and remove the danger of war on the Korean
Peninsula.
① Adopting the Agreement on the
Implementation of the Historic Panmunjeom Declaration in the
Military Domain as an annex to the Pyeongyang Joint
Declaration. ② Activating the Inter-Korean Joint Military
Committee as soon as possible to review the implementation
of the Agreement and maintain constant communication.
2. The two Koreas agreed to explore substantial measures to
further advance exchange and cooperation based on the spirit
of mutual benefit and to develop the economies of both
sides.
① Holding a ground-breaking ceremony within
this year for the connection of railways and roads along the
east and west coasts. ② Normalizing the Gaeseong Industrial
Complex and tourism to Mt. Geumgang if conditions permit,
and discussing the issue of forming a joint special economic
zone on the west coast and a joint special tourism zone on
the east coast. ③ Actively pushing for inter-Korean
environmental cooperation and, as a first step, striving to
achieve substantial results in forestry cooperation. ④
Stepping up cooperation in public health and medical care,
and the areas of prevention of epidemics, including
prevention of the influx and spread of contagious
diseases.
3. The two Koreas agreed to bolster
humanitarian cooperation to fundamentally resolve the issue
of separated families.
① Opening a permanent reunion
center for separated families in the Mt. Geumgang area in
the near future and restoring the facility for the center as
soon as possible. ② Resolving the issue of video reunions
and exchange of video messages between the separated
families through inter-Korean Red Cross talks.
4. The
two Koreas agreed to actively promote exchange and
cooperation in various fields.
① Further promoting
cultural and artistic exchange, and staging a performance by
a Pyeongyang art troupe in Seoul in October this year. ②
Participating together in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games and
other international games, and working together to bid for
the joint hosting of the 2032 Summer Olympic Games. ③
Holding joint events to celebrate the 11th anniversary of
the October 4 Declaration and commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the March First Independence Movement
Day.
5. The two Koreas shared the view that they
should make substantial progress in denuclearization on the
Korean Peninsula.
① The North will permanently
dismantle the Dongchang-ri missile engine test site and
launchpad under the observation of experts from involved
countries. ② The North will continue to take additional
measures, such as the permanent dismantlement of the nuclear
facilities in Yeongbyeon, depending on the United States’
corresponding measures. ③ South and North Korea will
cooperate closely in the process of complete
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
6. Chairman
Kim Jong Un agreed to visit Seoul in the near future at the
invitation of President Moon Jae-in.
< The Agreement on the Implementation of the
Historic Panmunjeom Declaration in the Military Domain
>
1. Completely ceasing all hostile acts against
each other in every domain, including land, air and
sea.
2. Devising substantive military measures to
transform the demilitarized zone into a peace zone.
3.
Turning the area around the Northern Limit Line in the West
Sea into a maritime peace zone.
4. Devising military
assurance measures necessary for promoting exchange,
cooperation, contacts, and visits.
5. Taking various
measures to build military trust.
6. The Agreement is
effective from the date of exchange of the signed documents,
following the procedures required for ratification from each
party. |
| September 18. |
- The Speaker of the ROK National
Assembly sends a letter proposing the holding of the
inter-Korean parliamentary talks to Choe Thae Bok, chairman
of the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) of North Korea.
- The ROK Minister of Unification, who accompanied President
Moon for the inter-Korean summit, delivered the letter to
Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the SPA.
|
| September 20-27. | - South and North Korea take part together
in the World Judo Championships in Azerbaijan.
- A
unified judo team for a mixed team event won the bronze
medal on September 27. |
| September 24. | - The
leaders of the ROK and the US have a summit meeting on the
sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
-
President Moon Jae-in “prayed for the imminent holding and
success of the North Korea-US summit.”
- US President
Donald Trump said that he would “have a second summit with
North Korea in the not so distant future.” |
| September 25. |
- North Korea notifies the South that it would delay the
joint excavation of Manwoldae, a Goryeo-era palace in
Gaeseong, which was supposed to resume on September 27.
|
| September 26. | - US President Donald Trump tells the
press corps, after a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe, that he “received an extraordinary new letter
from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un” and that he will meet
Kim soon for a second time.
|
| September 26. | - President
Moon Jae-in meets with Dr. Thomas Bach, President of the
International Olympic Committee, and asks for the IOC’s
support for a joint bid by Seoul and Pyeongyang to host the
2023 Summer Olympics.
|
| September 26. | - President
Moon, in his address at the UN General Assembly, states,
“Now, it is the international community’s turn to respond
positively to North Korea’s new choice and efforts. We must
encourage North Korea to stay on the path that leads to
permanent and solid peace.”
|
| September 26. | - The DPRK
Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State have a
meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New
York.
- Secretary of State Pompeo accepted North
Korean leader Kim’s invitation to visit Pyeongyang in
October (in a press release by the Department of State). o
September 27. North Korea’s Chairman of the Supreme People’s
Assembly sends a reply regarding the inter-Korean
parliamentary talks to the Speaker of the ROK National
Assembly.
- The North agreed in principle to the
South’s proposal to hold the inter-Korean parliamentary
talks and said that the dates for the talks may be set after
the dates for the talks for each field to implement the
Pyeongyang Joint Declaration of September 2018 are
determined. |
| September 28. |
- The two Koreas hold the second
meeting between the directors of the inter-Korean joint
liaison office in Gaeseong.
- Exchanging opinions on
the schedules for a joint event marking the 11th anniversary
of the October 4 Joint Declaration and for the high-level
talks and discussing practical matters regarding the
operation of the liaison office. |
| September 28. | - The Joint
Declaration Implementation Committee holds the first
meeting.
- Establishing a fourth subcommittee on arms
control alongside the three original subcommittees on
development in inter-Korean relations, denuclearization, and
communication and public relations.
- Discussing ways
to implement the Pyeongyang Joint Declaration and follow-up
measures. |
| September 29. |
- North Korean Foreign Minister Ri
Yong Ho, in his speech at the UN General Assembly, states,
“There is no way the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
will unilaterally disarm itself without rebuilding trust
with the United States.”
|
