South Korean President Moon Jae-in invited to Pyongyang after lunch with Kim Jong-un’s sister
Moon is desperate to use the Winter Olympics as an opportunity to restore regular communication with North Korea and eventually pull it into talks over resolving the international stand-off over its nuclear programme
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un invited South Korean President Moon Jae-in to Pyongyang “at an early date”, South Korean officials said on Saturday, potentially setting up the first talks between Korean leaders in more than 10 years.
Any meeting would represent a diplomatic coup for Moon, who swept to power last year on a policy of engaging more with the reclusive North.
The recent detente, anchored by South Korea’s hosting of the Winter Olympic Games, came despite an acceleration in the North’s weapons programme last year and pressure from Seoul’s allies, the US and Japan.
The invitation came during a lunch meeting Moon hosted with Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of the North Korean leader, at the presidential Blue House in Seoul.
Kim Jong-un wanted to meet Moon “at an early date”, the Blue House said, quoting Moon as saying : “let’s create conditions to make it happen”.