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Seoul calls on Pyongyang to resume inter-Korean contacts

The spokesperson for the South Korean Ministry of Unification also pointed out that Seoul continues to adhere to the previously reached inter-Korean agreements

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un Pyongyang Press Corps Pool via AP

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

© Pyongyang Press Corps Pool via AP

SEOUL, April 26. /TASS/. The Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) must resume bilateral dialogue as soon as possible, a spokesperson for the South Korean Ministry of Unification said on Monday in the run-up to the anniversary of the historic summit between both countries’ leaders Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un held on April 27, 2018 in Panmunjom.

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"We consider it necessary to resume dialogue between the South and the North at all levels, including the top one, as soon as possible," the spokesperson stressed. He pointed out that Seoul continues to adhere to the previously reached inter-Korean agreements, but it also calls for organizing new talks between the countries to give a new push to the dialogue.

The official also informed that this week, a number of events dedicated to the summit’s anniversary will be held, which will provide an opportunity "to take stock of the meeting between the leaders in Panmunjom and confirm readiness for new agreements" with Pyongyang.

The first meeting between Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un led to a series of top-level contacts not only between South and North Korea, but between Pyongyang and Washington as well. However, the peace process was stopped when during the February 2019 summit, Kim Jong-un and then US President Donald Trump failed to reach an agreement on the principal issues of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. After that, the DPRK suspended all inter-Korean exchanges and dialogue.

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