Koreas to mark Pyongyang summit anniversary

Seoul, Sep 18 (IANS) South and North Korea will on Saturday commemorate the second anniversary of their Pyongyang summit deal, amid a stalemate in bilateral ties and denuclearization talksAlso due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there was no major official ceremony planned to mark the September 19 Pyongyang Joint Declaration, reports Yonhap news Agency.Under the agreement, signed by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the two sides were supposed to resume operations of the Kaesong Industrial Complex and the Mount Kumgang tour program, "as conditions mature", and also to explore "substantial measures" to further advance exchanges and cooperation.There has been little progress, however, with the Korea peace process stalled since Kim's no-deal Hanoi summit with US President Donald Trump last year.The Moon administration is struggling to revive the momentum of dialogue.Speaking at a meeting at the Presidential Palace here on Friday, Moon said: "If (we) don't give up hope for meetings and dialogue, we will surely move on to the path of peace and unification."The President pointed out that he and Kim had declared their commitment to peace on the Korean Peninsula in front of 80 million Koreans and the world, Yonhap News Agency reported.He is expected to use his video speech at the virtual session of the UN General Assembly next week in the hope of playing a "facilitator or mediator" role once again to help break the deadlock.
--IANS ksk/