That’s because North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, just invited South Korean president Moon Jae-in to the country for a summit “at an early date” in Pyeongyang, Moon’s office said in a Saturday statement. Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, delivered that message during her meeting with Moon on Saturday.
In a note she wrote when visiting the presidential office, Kim Yo Jong said “I hope Pyongyang and Seoul will become closer in the hearts of Koreans and will bring unification and prosperity in the near future.”
Moon, the son of North Korean refugees, has long advocated for friendlier relations and dialogue with the north. It now appears Moon will accept the invitation after first responding by saying that a meeting could happen only “by creating the right conditions,” according to Moon’s spokesperson Kim Eui Kyeom. Kim, the spokesperson, added that Moon also wants North Korea to talk with the United States.
If Moon accepts the offer, it would be the first time a South Korean president entered North Korea since 2007 — and the third time overall. Eleven years ago, the south’s Roh Moo-hyun and the north’s Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un’s father, signed an eight-point peace agreement. Moon served as Roh’s chief of staff at the time.
