UN chief hails inter-Korean summit, ready to offer assistance

UNITED NATIONS, April 27 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has hailed the "truly historic" summit between the leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and South Korea and is ready to offer further assistance, his spokesperson said Friday.

"The Secretary-General salutes the courage and leadership that resulted in the important commitments and agreed actions outlined in the Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula," Stephane Dujarric said.

"He counts on the parties to build on their first meeting and swiftly implement all agreed actions to further inter-Korean trust-building and reconciliation, sincere dialogue, and progress towards sustainable peace and verifiable denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula," Dujarric added.

The UN chief is ready to further assist in these important processes, he said.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un held their first summit meeting on the South Korean side of the border village Friday.

Kim became the first DPRK leader to cross the border onto the South Korean soil since the end of the Korean War in 1953. Enditem