Direct communication line between two Koreas to be established Friday

The South Korean government is putting the final touches on preparations for the upcoming inter-Korean summit-- now just a week away.
On the presidential table on this Friday,... a hotline will be hooked up that'll link President Moon Jae-in directly with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Seoul's top office also says summit situation rooms will be up and running early next week.
Won Jung-hwan reports.

The presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae announced on Thursday that Seoul and Pyongyang will be establishing a direct line of communication on Friday.

"The end of the hotline will be at the South Korean presidential office... and on the North Korean side it'll be at the State Affairs Commission, an executive body headed by Kim Jong-un."

The top office also announced six key aides who will accompany President Moon at the inter-Korean summit next week.
They are Chief Secretary Im Jong-seok, National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong, National Intelligence Service Chief ( )Suh Hoon, Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, Defense Minister Song Young-moo, and Foreign Affairs Minister Kang Kyung-wha.

The spokesperson, however, pointed out that who will sit at the actual summit table will depend on the number of aides accompanying Kim Jong-un.

As for the summit venue, the top office said the Peace House at the truce village of Panmunjom underwent a renovation of facilities, which started on April 6.
The final touches, expected to be finalized this week, include installation of carpets and hanging of paintings.

Cheong Wa Dae will have two situation rooms set up by next Tuesday -- one at the truce village of Panmunjom and the other at the main press center located in the KINTEX exhibition and convention center in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do Province, some 30 km south of Panmunjom.
The presidential office said rehearsals will be held at Panmunjom twice -- next Tuesday and Thursday -- ahead of the April 27th summit.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.