Moon, Kim start talks

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un talk while heading to Paekhwawon, a state guesthouse in Pyongyang, where Moon will stay during his visit. Joint Press Corps

By Jung Min-ho, Joint Press Corps

SEOUL/PYONGYANG ― South Korean President Moon Jae-in started formal talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, as the two seek to establish a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

At the third inter-Korean summit this year, Moon and Kim are expected to discuss various issues ― such as North Korea's denuclearization progress and the prospect of officially ending the Korean War ― at the Workers' Party headquarters.

According to Cheong Wa Dae, Moon was accompanied by National Security Advisor Chung Eui-yong and National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon for talks, while Kim was accompanied by his sister Kim Yo-jong and head of parliament Kim Yong-nam.

Moon said before his trip that he would push for "irreversible, permanent peace" and play a mediator role to rekindle denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington.

Moon and his wife Kim Jung-sook arrived in the North Korean capital at around 9:50 a.m., to be greeted by Kim, his wife Ri Sol-ju, Kim Yo-jong and North Korea's top officials, including Kim Yong-nam and ruling party vice chairman Choe Ryong-hae.

Moon and Kim shook hands and embraced as they flashed wide smiles.

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A military honor guard welcomed Moo and his entourage with a special ceremony. Its leader called Moon "Your Excellency."

After watching the ceremony with Kim, Moon shook hands with people in the cheering crowd, some waving Korean unification flags.

The leaders left in separate vehicles to go to Paekhwawon, a state guesthouse, where Moon will stay. But when they arrived, they stepped out of the same black Mercedes.

Along the route, a cheering crowd of tens of thousands greeted them with flowers.

This year, Moon and Kim met twice at the shared village of Panmunjeom in April and in May.

Moon's trip comes amid a deadlock in denuclearization talks between the United States and North Korea. Before flying to Pyongyang, Moon said he would seek to mediate a breakthrough.

"What I want to achieve is peace," he said on Twitter ahead of his departure. "Not a tentative change that could be volatile depending on the international situation, but an irreversible, permanent and unwavering peace, regardless of what might happen in the global arena."

Moon's entourage includes K-pop stars and nearly a dozen business leaders, including Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong.