Korean president to greet DPRK leader in military demarcation line for summit: Blue House

GOYANG, South Korea –South Korean President Moon Jae-in planned to greet Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), in the military demarcation line (MDL) inside Panmunjom, a border village dividing the two Koreas, the Blue House of South Kores said Thursday. 

Im Jong-seok, presidential chief of staff who is leading South Korea's preparation for the Moon-Kim summit, told a press briefing at the media press center in Goyang, outside of Seoul, that Moon and Kim will make their first historic encounter at 9:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) Friday on the MDL inside Panmunjom. 

Kim will cross the MDL, marked only by a low concrete slab, through a narrow aisle between the blue pavilions sitting in the middle of the border village and straddling the two Koreas. The blue pavilions are used as the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission meeting room. 

Im said President Moon will greet Kim, chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK, on the MDL, noting that Kim will walk over the MDL under the escort of South Korea's honor guard. 

Moon and Kim will walk to a square between the Freedom House and the Peace House, located in the South Korean side of Panmunjom, to hold an official welcoming ceremony that includes the inspection of the honor guard. 

Kim would become the first DPRK leader to set foot on the South Korean soil since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. 

After the welcoming ceremony, the two leaders will move on foot to the Peace House, a venue for the third inter-Korean summit since the first in 2000 and the second in 2007 were held in the DPRK's capital of Pyongyang. 

Moon and Kim will start their first tete-a-tete from 10:30 a.m. local time (0130 GMT) to discuss issues on peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, Moon's chief of staff said. 

The leaders of the two Koreas will have lunch separately after the summit meeting in the morning, with Kim slated to return back to the DPRK side of Panmunjom for lunch and a break. 

After lunch, Kim will cross the border to the South Korean side of Panmunjom in the afternoon to plant a pine tree, which symbolizes peace and prosperity, together with Moon on the MDL that had been a symbol of confrontation and division of the Koreas for the past 65 years. 

Moon and Kim will take a walk on the Footbridge inside the border village after the pine tree-plating event, while sharing pleasant conversation. 

After the friendship stroll, the two leaders will resume the summit meeting before holding a welcoming banquet at the Peace House from 6:30 p.m. local time (0930 GMT). Enditem 
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