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North Korean President Kim Jong Un will travel to Seoul "soon," Southern President Moon Jae-in said on Thursday in a context of rapid diplomatic thaw on the peninsula, despite blocked nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington.
At their third summit in Pyongyang in September, the leaders of the two Koreas decided that Kim would travel to Seoul "in the near future" without giving a specific date.
Moon later hinted that the trip was likely to happen this year and told lawmakers on Thursday that the peninsula was approaching the "historic starting line" for peace.
"It seems that the visit of President Kim Jong Un in Russia and that of (Chinese) President Xi Jinping in North Korea are imminent," said Moon, adding that there was an "open" possibility of meeting between Kim and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo. Abe.
"President Kim Jong Un's visit to Seoul will take place soon," he added.
No other details have been given.
These remarks took place on the day of the entry into force of an air exclusion zone along the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas, in accordance with a military agreement signed at the summit of Pyongyang in September.
The Korean War of 1950-1953 ends with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving both parties still technically at war and divided by the DMZ.
Under the Defense Ministers' Pact, all hostile border activities were to cease as of November 1, including military exercises on land, at sea and in the air, to prevent accidental clashes.
– Second summit –
Despite debating diplomacy on and around the peninsula, there are differences between Seoul and its security ally, Washington, which places 28,500 troops in the south to protect it from its neighbor.
At their historic summit in Singapore, organized by Moon, Kim and US President Donald Trump signed a vague declaration on denuclearization, but little progress has been made since.
Washington and Pyongyang objected to the exact terms of the agreement, with the United States lobbying to maintain sanctions and pressure against the North until its "final and fully verified denuclearization".
The South Korean Dovish president has long favored relations with the North, which is subject to multiple sanctions by the UN Security Council for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
It has launched major investments and joint cross-border projects to encourage denuclearization.
Concerns were raised about the possibility that such systems would violate the sanctions against the north, while the US insisted that the pressure on Pyongyang be maintained until it completely dismantles its weapons programs.
The State Department announced this week that Seoul and Washington would create a new working group to strengthen their coordination.
Moon said that a second Trump-Kim summit was "right in front of our eyes".
"Now, the South, the North and the United States will achieve full denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean peninsula," he said.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested that the next meeting between Trump and Kim would be "hopefully early next year, where we can make a breakthrough in reducing of North Korea's nuclear threat ".
But in September, the Northern Foreign Minister told the United Nations that it was "impossible" for his country to disarm its weapons first as long as severe sanctions by the United States remain against it.
North Korean President Kim Jong Un (R) to visit Seoul "soon", says Moon Jae-in (L), Southern President
