Roundup: S.Korean president says agreed DPRK-U.S. summit to become historic milestone

SEOUL, March 9 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Friday that the agreed-upon summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), will become a "historic milestone" for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

"I have been informed that President Donald Trump will meet Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea (DPRK) by May," Moon said after hearing news that Trump accepted Kim's offer to meet as soon as possible, according to the Blue House of South Korea.

"The two leaders' meeting following the inter-Korean summit will put the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula finally on track and will be remembered as a historic milestone which will contribute to achieving peace on the peninsula in the future," said Moon.

Moon expressed his "profound gratitude" to Trump and Kim who made difficult decisions, saying the leadership of Trump, who willingly accepted Kim's invitation for a summit, will be praised not only by people of the two Koreas but by all people who hope for peace all around the world.

The South Korean government, Moon said, will cherish this "miraculous" opportunity and make progress in a sincere, careful and steady manner. He also expressed his gratitude to global leaders who have been showing their interest in and concern for peace along the way.

Moon's comments came after Trump accepted Kim's offer to meet the U.S. president. Chung Eui-yong, top security adviser for Moon, met Trump in Washington to brief the U.S. president on his visit to Pyongyang earlier this week.

Chung said in a statement that he told Trump about Kim's eagerness to meet the U.S. president as soon as possible, and Trump told Chung that he would meet the DPRK leader by May "to achieve permanent denuclearization."

Trump could be the first sitting U.S. president to meet the DPRK's top leader. It would become a big step towards peacefully resolving the Korean Peninsula's nuclear issue.

Kim said the DPRK "will refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests," said Chung who led the South Korean special delegation to the DPRK earlier this week to meet the DPRK leader in Pyongyang.

The DPRK leader was also "committed to denuclearization," understanding that "the routine joint military exercises" between South Korea and the United States "must continue," according to Chung, the South Korean official.

The two Koreas already agreed to hold a summit in late April at Peace House, a South Korean building in the truce village of Panmunjom that straddles the two Koreas.

If held as agreed upon, Kim will become the first DPRK leader who sets foot on the South Korean soil since the 1950-53 Korean War.

To successfully hold the inter-Korean summit, President Moon ordered the establishment of a summit preparation committee, led by Im Jong-seok, Moon's chief of staff.

The preparation committee aims to reach an effective agreement during the upcoming summit between the two Koreas, which can develop inter-Korean relations, according to the Blue House.

The first and second summits between the two Koreas were held in Pyongyang in 2000 and 2007 respectively. Enditem