South Korean envoy delivers president's letter to the North's Kim Jong Un

South Korea’s special envoy met with Kim Jong Un Wednesday.

September 5, 2018, 8:32 AM

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea’s special envoy visited Pyongyang Wednesday, meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and hand-delivering a letter from the South’s president.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s special delegation, led by top security adviser Chung Eui-yong, left Seoul early in the morning for the one-day trip to Pyongyang.

PHOTO: Chung Eui-yong, top national security adviser hand-delivered South Korean president's letter to Kim Jong Un as a special envoy to Pyongyang, North Korea, Sept. 5, 2018.
Chung Eui-yong, top national security adviser hand-delivered South Korean president's letter to Kim Jong Un as a special envoy to Pyongyang, North Korea, Sept. 5, 2018.
South Korea's presidential office

"The special envoy met with Chairman Kim Jong Un to deliver the personal letter [from Moon] and exchange their opinions," Seoul's presidential office said in a brief statement.

South Korean officials did not provide details of the contents of the letter.

PHOTO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with South Korea's special envoys in Pyongyang, North Korea, Sept, 5, 2018.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with South Korea's special envoys in Pyongyang, North Korea, Sept, 5, 2018.
South Korea's presidential office

The envoys are expected to bring back an exact date for the third inter-Korean summit, as well as engaging in broad discussions based on agreements made with the United States during the Singapore summit earlier this year.

PHOTO: Chung Eui-yong, top national security adviser hand-delivered South Korean president's letter to Kim Jong Un as a special envoy to Pyongyang, North Korea, Sept. 5, 2018.
Chung Eui-yong, top national security adviser hand-delivered South Korean president's letter to Kim Jong Un as a special envoy to Pyongyang, North Korea, Sept. 5, 2018.
South Korea's presidential office

“There will be discussions on the specific schedule and agenda of the inter-Korean summit meeting in Pyongyang during September,” Chung said in a press briefing Tuesday, the night before the trip.

Chung added, “we will consult on various measures to advance the development of inter-Korean relations through the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration,” which the Koreas adopted earlier this year with the goal of ending their conflict.

PHOTO: South Korean special envoys led by the chief of the national security office at Seoul'?s presidential Blue House, Chung Eui-yong, leave for Pyongyang from an airport in Sungnam city, South Korea, Sept. 5, 2018.
South Korean special envoys led by the chief of the national security office at Seoul'?s presidential Blue House, Chung Eui-yong, leave for Pyongyang from an airport in Sungnam city, South Korea, Sept. 5, 2018.
Yonhap via Reuters

The five-member special delegation is expected to leave Pyongyang after the dinner banquet prepared by the North. It was unknown whether Kim Jong Un will host the dinner banquet, the presidential office said.

PHOTO: South Korean special envoys led by the chief of the national security office at Seoul's presidential Blue House, Chung Eui-yong, leave for Pyongyang from an airport in Sungnam city, South Korea, Sept. 5, 2018.
South Korean special envoys led by the chief of the national security office at Seoul's presidential Blue House, Chung Eui-yong, leave for Pyongyang from an airport in Sungnam city, South Korea, Sept. 5, 2018.
Yonhap via Reuters

The delegation included the same officials from the first envoys to Pyongyang in March: Chief of National Intelligence Suh Hoon, Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-Sung, the presidential secretary for state affairs, Yun Kun-young, and senior National Intelligence Service official Kim Sang-gyun.

PHOTO: Chung Eui-yong (3rd R), head of the presidential National Security Office, and other delegaters pose before boarding an aircraft as they leave for Pyongyang at a military airport, Sept. 5, 2018, in Seounfnam, South Korea.
Chung Eui-yong (3rd R), head of the presidential National Security Office, and other delegaters pose before boarding an aircraft as they leave for Pyongyang at a military airport, Sept. 5, 2018, in Seounfnam, South Korea. A high-level South Korean delegation left for North Korea on Sept. 5, 2018 to discuss arrangements for an inter-Korean summit there this month, as relations grow cooler between Washington and Pyongyang.
Jung Yeon-Je/Pool/Getty Images

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