Speculations on Kim Jong-un's visit increase despite Blue House denial
- 5 years ago
Ever since President Moon Jae-in said that all options are open for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to Seoul, speculation has been rising on when and where the historical moment will happen.
Specific dates have even been suggested, backed up by reservations at places for Kim's visit,... but the Moon administration continues to deny such claims.
Lee Ji-won has more.
There aren't yet sufficient signs to say when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will visit Seoul.
South Korea's prime minister Lee Nak-yon said this during his meeting with reporters on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister added that a specific time was never fixed, and that it was simply hoped that Kim's visit would happen within this year.
Kim Jong-un agreed to visit Seoul at an early date at the invitation of President Moon Jae-in during their third-inter Korean summit in Pyeongyang back in September.
Prime Minister Lee said that since all options are open, there will be Plans A and B.
In fact, a number of dates have been suggested by local media, based on reservations made by the Blue House.
Some South Korean media have been reporting that a Blue House official had requested that N Seoul Tower, a famous tourist destination, not take any reservations on the 13th and 14th of December.
When asked about this, officials from N Seoul Tower simply said that a group tour has been reserved for the 14th and that the day's reservations are full. It also said that due to privacy issues, the name the reservation was made under cannot be revealed.
And according to a hotel industry insider, reservations for suites at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul are unavailable on the 18th to 20th December.
The hotel, located east of Seoul, is where the North Korean leader's younger sister Kim Yo-jong stayed during her visit to South Korea in February for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
The hotel is also far from Seoul's city center, making it a better location for the North Korean leader's stay.
While the hotel official said that such reports on suite availability are not true, he also said that there were no special signs prior to Kim Yo-jong's visit earlier this year.
Many have put more weight on the latter date, as it is right after the anniversary of Kim Jong-un's father Kim Jong-il's death, giving Kim Jong-un less of a burden.
But President Moon's senior press secretary Yoon Young-chan said Wednesday that reports on the Blue House offering for Kim Jong-un to visit from the 18th to 20th are not true and that the North's decision will be important in arranging Kim's visit.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.
Specific dates have even been suggested, backed up by reservations at places for Kim's visit,... but the Moon administration continues to deny such claims.
Lee Ji-won has more.
There aren't yet sufficient signs to say when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will visit Seoul.
South Korea's prime minister Lee Nak-yon said this during his meeting with reporters on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister added that a specific time was never fixed, and that it was simply hoped that Kim's visit would happen within this year.
Kim Jong-un agreed to visit Seoul at an early date at the invitation of President Moon Jae-in during their third-inter Korean summit in Pyeongyang back in September.
Prime Minister Lee said that since all options are open, there will be Plans A and B.
In fact, a number of dates have been suggested by local media, based on reservations made by the Blue House.
Some South Korean media have been reporting that a Blue House official had requested that N Seoul Tower, a famous tourist destination, not take any reservations on the 13th and 14th of December.
When asked about this, officials from N Seoul Tower simply said that a group tour has been reserved for the 14th and that the day's reservations are full. It also said that due to privacy issues, the name the reservation was made under cannot be revealed.
And according to a hotel industry insider, reservations for suites at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul are unavailable on the 18th to 20th December.
The hotel, located east of Seoul, is where the North Korean leader's younger sister Kim Yo-jong stayed during her visit to South Korea in February for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
The hotel is also far from Seoul's city center, making it a better location for the North Korean leader's stay.
While the hotel official said that such reports on suite availability are not true, he also said that there were no special signs prior to Kim Yo-jong's visit earlier this year.
Many have put more weight on the latter date, as it is right after the anniversary of Kim Jong-un's father Kim Jong-il's death, giving Kim Jong-un less of a burden.
But President Moon's senior press secretary Yoon Young-chan said Wednesday that reports on the Blue House offering for Kim Jong-un to visit from the 18th to 20th are not true and that the North's decision will be important in arranging Kim's visit.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.