South Korea makes final preparations for Friday's inter-Korean summit

  • 6 years ago
남북정상회담 준비위 오늘 판문점서 리허설, 내일은 남북합동으로

Just three days to go now until the inter-Korean summit.
Seoul is extra-busy with the final touches. Checking the facilities for all the journalists covering the big event, and the rehearsals.
Our Cheong Wa Dae correspondent Hwang Hojun has the latest.
The preparatory committee for the inter-Korean summit held its own rehearsal at the summit venue,.... the "Peace House" on the South Korean side of Panmunjom,... to ensure everything runs smoothly.
It was attended by Presidential Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok, who heads the committee, along with the chiefs of three subcommittees in charge of the agenda; communication and public relations; and operations support.
The rehearsal looked at every little detail related to the actual summit, including the paths people will take, the order of events, and the furniture inside the building.
Though the Blue House didn't give out much detail, the committee convened afterwards to discuss issues or concerns,... and will make any necessary changes on the final run-through on the eve of the summit.
That will involve more detail and, of course, more people.
On Wednesday, North Korea will send its delegates led by Kim Chang-son, an official from Pyongyang's State Affairs Commission, to the Peace House, and the two Koreas will hold a rehearsal together.
And while the Presidential Office of Cheong Wa Dae did not disclose the time of the rehearsal, it did say it will take place at the exact same time of day when the leaders of Seoul and Pyongyang are set to meet on Friday.
They also confirmed there will be no stand-ins for either President Moon or Kim Jong-un.
The committee also began operations at two situation rooms, which will be making sure everything goes as planned. One is on the third floor of the Peace House itself... and the other at the Main Press Center located at the KINTEX exhibition hall in Goyang, northwest of Seoul.
The Main Press Center, which will welcome media outlets from Korea and abroad, will open on Thursday.
As of this Tuesday morning, more than two-thousand-eight-hundred reporters from 41 countries have registered.
Meanwhile, the Blue House revealed what will be served at the dinner that President Moon and Kim Jong-un will be attending Friday evening.
According to the Blue House spokesperson, the dinner menu will reflect the efforts of those who contributed to the peace and unification of the two Koreas.
Dishes prepared by Seoul will include ones from the hometowns of the late South Korean Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun as well as from Moon Jae-in's hometown -- also food from Switzerland, where Kim Jong-un spent part of his childhood.
Pyongyang-style naengmyun, or cold noodles, will also be served.

We're now in the final countdown to the historic event -- to the first meeting of the leaders of the two Koreas in eleven years. And for the Blue House, to ensure a successful summit, no detail is too small.
Hwang Hojun Arirang News

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