The following is a briefing given this morning by Yoon Young-chan, Senior Secretary to the President for Public Communication.

President Moon Jae-in just departed for Pyeongyang at 8:55 am. The President left the presidential residence at 8:06 this morning and was greeted by the Cheong Wa Dae staff waiting for him in front of Insumun gate. President Moon waved as he walked between the two lines of staff members and said “Thank you. I will be seeing you soon.”

The President boarded his helicopter at 8:16 am from the Cheong Wa Dae heliport and flew toward Seoul Air Base in Seongnam. Upon his arrival he said, “This trip to the North will be of great significance in itself if it helps resume the dialogue between North Korea and the United States.” President Moon added, “It is very important for the North and South to meet frequently, and we are now heading toward a relationship whereby we not only meet regularly but also whenever necessary.”

As President Moon noted, we are now transitioning from a persistent threat of war to an institutionalization of peace. What we want to accomplish is an irreversible and permanent peace. Instead of concluding yet another declaration or agreement, we are aiming to move toward a new era based on the agreements reached so far.

I will brief you on today’s schedule.

There will be a welcoming ceremony upon the President’s arrival at Pyeongyang International Airport at 10:00 am. The ceremony is set to be broadcast in real time. The President will then move to the Baekhwawon State Guesthouse in Daeseong-gu, Pyeongyang, where he will stay during the summit. Then, both sides will have separate lunches, followed by the first session of the 2018 Inter-Korean Summit Pyeongyang. It is difficult to confirm now whether others will take part in the meeting and where the venue will be. I expect the media will be allowed to cover some parts of this first meeting.

During the first day of the summit, First Lady Kim Jung-sook and accompanying officials will tour the Okyru Children’s Hospital, North Korea’s biggest general hospital for children and the Kim Won Gyun University of Music, which is named after a famous North Korean composer. Both are located in the Daedonggang District of Pyeongyang.

The accompanying South Korean officials will meet Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, and the business leaders will sit down with Ri Ryong Nam, Vice Premier of North Korea. Other groups of delegates are expected to meet with their counterparts in the North as well.

We will upload the information on the places visited and the list of attendees on Infonet (infonet.koreasummit.kr) as the details become available.

(Unofficial translation)