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Tensions on the Korean Peninsula

North Korean leader to visit Seoul by year-end

"The visit should take place by the end of the year, if nothing extraordinary happens," South Korean president Moon Jae-in said

North Koean leader Kim Jong Un Korea Broadcasting System via AP

North Koean leader Kim Jong Un

© Korea Broadcasting System via AP

SEOUL, September 19. /TASS/. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is expected to visit Seoul by the end of the year, South Korean President Moon Jae-in told reporters on Wednesday following this year’s third inter-Korean talks.

"The visit should take place by the end of the year, if nothing extraordinary happens," he said, adding that the visit would be "a turning point in inter-Korean relations."

Kim Jong Un confirmed he was set to visit the South Korean capital "in the near future."

Earlier in the day, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met behind closed doors in Pyongyang. The meeting was held in the Paekhwawon villa and conference facility for high-ranking guests, where Moon Jae-in is staying during his visit to Pyongyang.

The inter-Korean summit, the fifth in history and the third this year, began in Pyongyang on September 18 and will end on September 20. The first round of talks between the leaders of North and South Korea within the framework of the ongoing summit took place on Tuesday and lasted two hours.

Two previous inter-Korean summits were held in Pyongyang in 2000 and 2007.

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Situation on the Korean Peninsula

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