The leaders of the two Koreas shook hands after the meeting.

On September 18, South Korean President Wen Zaiyin arrived in Pyongyang for a three-day visit to the DPRK. This is the third meeting between Wen Zaiyin and Kim Jong un since the "ice breaking meeting" on April 27 and the "flash meeting" on May 26. Wen Zaiyin became the third South Korean president to visit Pyongyang after Kim Dae jung and Roh Moo hyun. Analysts believe that this meeting is "icing on the cake" for continuing to promote reconciliation and cooperation between North and South Korea, but whether it can promote the resumption of dialogue between the DPRK and the United States and bridge the huge differences between the parties on denuclearization remains to be further observed.

Travel highlights

The schedule of the inter Korean leaders' meeting is a major focus of media attention and an important link for the outside world to see through the peaceful will of the DPRK.

South Korea's Daily Economy said that from the perspective of the public schedule, the leaders of the DPRK and the ROK met at least six times, including the airport welcome ceremony, two summit meetings, welcome and farewell dinners, friendly activities, etc. Given Kim Jong un's style of conduct, it is estimated that the leaders of the two Koreas may even meet more than 10 times.

Specifically, the airport reception, two rounds of summit meetings, and Wen Jae in's wife Kim Jong Sook's visit to the Yuliu Children's Hospital and Kim Won Jun Music University, accompanied by Kim Jong Un's wife Li Xuezhu, fully reflect the DPRK's great importance and careful arrangements for this meeting, and also demonstrate the determination of both sides to pursue peace. At 5:45 p.m. on September 18 (4:45 Beijing time), Kim Jong un and Wen Jae in concluded their first round of closed door meeting, which lasted for two hours. Wen Jae in then went to the Mulan Hall of the Korean State Guests' Banquet Hall to attend the welcome dinner. The dinner prepared sashimi, honeydew melon ham, hot cabbage and pickled platycodon grandiflorum, sweet glutinous rice porridge, mullet soup and shark fin soup. Besides red wine, there are also Pyongyang white wine and ginseng wine on the table.

Ren Zhongxiang, the head of the Secretary Office of the President of the Republic of Korea, Chung Wa Tai, said that on September 19, the leaders of the two Koreas held the second round of meeting and jointly held a press conference to release the results of the consultation. Wen Zaiyin had lunch at the Yuliu Hall on the banks of the Datong River at noon that day. After dinner, he visited the main facilities in Pyongyang and attended the farewell dinner. On September 20, the DPRK held a farewell ceremony for Wen Zaiyin at the airport, and then Wen Zaiyin left for South Korea.

Meeting highlights

According to the analysis, this "Pyongyang Pact" between the two Koreas, compared with previous summit meetings, has a lot to see.

First, the scale is larger. On September 16, before the meeting, the ROK sent 93 people, including etiquette, guards, radio, television and media reporters, to the DPRK. The 14 official entourage from 6 ministries including the Ministry of Unification of the Republic of Korea and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs arrived in Pyongyang with Wen Zaiyin, among whom Kang Jinghe became the South Korean Foreign Minister who paid an official visit to Pyongyang for the first time; There are also 52 special attendants from Korean political parties, civil organizations, cultural circles and business circles. The members of the delegation can be said to be heavy, numerous and extensive.

Second, the specification is higher. Formally, the first two "Wenjin Meetings" were informal visits by the heads of the DPRK and the ROK to realize mutual visits, and this meeting is more formal; In terms of time, the meeting was longer than the previous two "Wenjin Meetings" and "Special Jin Meetings"; In terms of specifications, Kim Jong un and his wife suddenly appeared at the airport to greet Wen Zaiyin without prior notice, giving him the highest courtesy, and the number of meetings between the two parties set a record; In terms of mode, unlike the Pyongyang Summit in 2000 and 2007, the two leaders met directly from the very beginning and held their first meeting in the building of the Central Committee of the Korean Workers' Party, which is of great significance.

Third, the form is updated. Another reason why the meeting attracted much attention was that the important links were broadcast live worldwide for the first time, and the reporting method was innovative. Yonhap News Agency said that the DPRK had never broadcast the events held in Pyongyang live, and the decision was also unexpected. In addition, South Korea has set up a news center in the country so that journalists who cannot go to Pyongyang can access manuscripts, photos and videos at any time. At the same time, it has launched a portal website to review the results of the two previous inter Korean summits and the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration. It has set up several columns, such as "record peace archives" and "peace prayer relay", so that netizens can directly participate in the discussion and write greetings.

Focus

The topics and outcomes of the inter Korean summit are an important window for the outside world to observe the trend of the situation on the peninsula. Ren Zhongxiang said that the three major topics of the meeting were to improve inter Korean relations, promote the denuclearization dialogue between the DPRK and the US, and eliminate military tensions and war risks.

The Chief Secretary of the South Korean Presidential Palace said on September 19 that the DPRK and the ROK issued the Pyongyang Joint Declaration on the same day, which was a de facto declaration of the end of the state of war. At the press conference, Kim Jong un said that he would visit Seoul in the near future. Wen Zaiyin said that the two sides agreed to eliminate the military threat in all areas of the peninsula, and the North and South reached an agreement on denuclearization for the first time. The leaders of the two sides agreed to permanently abolish the Dongcangli missile engine test site and missile launching pad, establish a buffer zone near the "38th parallel", terminate artillery exercises, and cancel 11 border posts respectively. In addition, cross-border railways and roads will be reconnected within the year. When conditions permit, the development project of Mount Kumgang in Kaicheng will be restarted, and the operation of the permanent meeting place for separated family members will be promoted as soon as possible. Wen Zaiyin also said that the ROK and the DPRK will jointly bid for the 2032 Summer Olympics. The defense ministers of the two countries also signed military agreements aimed at easing tension on the peninsula.

Future destination

Since this year, the situation on the Korean Peninsula has turned around rapidly, especially the "Winter Olympics", "Special Olympics", "Wenjin" and other ice breaking activities, which have made the atmosphere of peace increasingly strong, but the peace process is still twists and turns. Under the circumstances that the interaction between the two Koreas exceeded the expectation of the United States, the dialogue between the two Koreas was repeated. The United States called off Pompeo's second visit to the DPRK, continued to promote "extreme pressure", and recalled the US ROK military exercises, all of which exacerbated the uncertainty of the situation on the peninsula.

However, from the current demands of all parties, Kim Jong un is fully pursuing economic development to promote the stability of the regime. Trump expects to use the Korean nuclear issue to win votes. Wen Zaiyin advocates a moderate approach to the DPRK. It is unlikely that all parties will turn around in the short term.

How the DPRK and the US find a balance point on the issue of interests in the future, whether to step back or not, is related to bilateral relations and the stability of the peninsula. During this window period, the meeting played a "booster" role in resolving the deadlock in the DPRK US relations. The parties expect the situation on the peninsula to move smoothly from "peace, a new beginning" (the slogan of the meeting on April 27) to "peace, a new future" (the slogan of the meeting). (Li Haozhe)

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