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The six officials who will accompany President Moon Jae-in at the inter-Korean summit on Apr. 27. From left are Blue House Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok, Blue House National Security Office director Chung Eui-yong, National Intelligence Service director Suh Hoon, Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon, Minister of National Defense Song Young-moo, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha.
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List of South Korean representatives for summit finalized by preparatory committee
A hotline is being opened between the South and North Korean leaders on Apr. 20, a week ahead of their scheduled summit, the Blue House announced on Apr. 19. The Blue House also finalized a list of six official members of the entourage accompanying President Moon Jae-in to the summit, including Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok, National Security Office director Chung Eui-yong, and National Intelligence Service (NIS) director Suh Hoon. “A hotline between the South and North Korean leaders is being set up tomorrow, and an initial test conversation will be taking place between staff members,” Blue House spokesperson Kim Eui-kyum said in an Apr. 19 briefing on the outcome of the sixth inter-Korean summit preparatory committee meeting. “The two ends of the connection will be the Blue House on our side and the State Affairs Commission on the North Korean side,” he added. Kim went on to say it had “not yet been decided when [the first] call will take place between the two leaders.” The agreement to establish a hotline between the South and North Korean leaders was made with the North on Apr. 5 during a visit to Pyongyang by members of a special envoy delegation, which included Chung Eui-yong. At the time, Chung explained that the two sides had “agreed to establish a hotline between leaders to reduce military tensions and hold close discussions, with the first call to take place before the third inter-Korean summit [on Apr. 27].” A hotline between the South and North Korean leaders was opened in the wake of the first-ever inter-Korean summit between then-President Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong-il on June 14, 2000, but was shut down in 2008 after the Lee Myung-bak administration came to power and inter-Korean relations soured. Unlike the previous hotline set up between the NIS and the Workers’ Party United Front Department, the new hotline is to be established for the first time in the places where the respective leaders have their offices. By allowing direct communication between the leaders, the hotline is expected to help prevent unintended conflicts and clear up misunderstandings between the two sides. The preparatory committee for the inter-Korean summit also selected six official members for Moon’s entourage the same day. “We have decided on six official entourage members, namely Im Jong-seok, Chung Eui-yong, Suh Hoon, [Minister of Unification] Cho Myoung-gyon, [Minister of National Defense] Song Young-moo, and [Minister of Foreign Affairs] Kang Kyung-wha,” Kim Eui-kyum explained. “But the question of who will actually sit at the table for the inter-Korean tables will be determined when we see how many people are sitting there from the North Korean side,” he added. The Blue House further announced that remodeling of the Peace House on the South Korean side of Panmunjeom, which is to be the venue for the inter-Korean summit, would be completed on Apr. 20. The Peace House remodeling effort began on Apr. 6. Built in 1998, the structure has been undergoing full-scale maintenance and repairs on facilities deemed to be in too poor condition for an inter-Korean summit. “Things like electronics, artwork, furniture, flower pots, a red carpet, and decorative flower arrangements will be brought in later on,” Kim explained, adding that the two sides would be holding “summit rehearsals.” On Apr. 24 and 26, respectively, subcommittee heads and members of the inter-Korean summit preparatory committee are to attend to run through the full schedule for the summit. From North Korea, an advance team is to visit around Apr. 24 or 25 to rehearse in a similar format to the South. Kim also said that situation rooms to manage summit events would be “set up on Apr. 24 on the third floor of Freedom House [across from Peace House, the inter-Korean summit venue at Panmunjeom] and on the second floor of Hall 1 at KINTEX [the Korea International Exhibition Center] in Ilsan, where the press center will be set up.” By Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
