Final preparations underway for Friday's inter-Korean summit

이승열 연구위원 대담

And to tell us more about this, Lee Seung-yeol,... senior researcher at the National Assembly Research Service joins us in the studio today.
Welcome to the program.

Pleasure to be here.


1- So with the final touches being made to the summit preparations... what came out of yesterday's working-level meeting?


2- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's wife Ri Sol-ju has been accompanying her husband at various diplomatic events.
What can we make of such moves?


3- Will we see the leaders of the two Koreas talk to each other directly over the hotline that was established last Friday... *before the inter-Korean summit?


4- High-level talks were originally set for last Friday but they were cancelled... Is it because the two Koreas have reached an agreement on almost everything now... and don't feel the need to hold another session of high-level talks before the summit?


5- What about the agenda for the summit?
What can we expect on that front?


6- So with North Korea having announced its plans to dismantle the Punggye-ri nuclear test site,... it seems the two Koreas have gotten a step closer to discussing the denuclearization issue in depth.
What are your thoughts on this?


7- And the acting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Susan Thornton is in Seoul to meet with officials here to discuss policies toward North Korea ahead of the inter-Korean summit.
What could've been discussed during their meetings?


8- North Korea is suspending further nuclear weapons development while South Korea turned off loudspeakers that broadcast propaganda across the Korean border.
How might these recent developments on the Korean Peninsula affect the inter-Korean summit as well as the upcoming U.S.-North Korea summit?


9- And with the first rehearsal to take place today... what are some of the things that we should keep our eyes on between now and Friday?

Thank you for your insight today.

You're welcome.