S. Korea, DPRK agree to live broadcast major events of inter-Korean summit: Seoul

South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have agreed to live broadcast the upcoming inter-Korean summit later this month, the Blue House of South Korea said Wednesday.

A South Korean marine soldier passes by a TV screen showing file footage of South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 18, 2018. North and South Korea have agreed to allow live television broadcasts for parts of the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in next week. [Photo: AP]

The two sides agreed to live broadcast the key schedules and events of the historic summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un to the world, from the very first scene at which the two leaders shake hands.

The agreement came after the second round of working-level talks to discuss security, protocol and media coverage for the summit in the border village of Panmunjom earlier in the day.

The Blue House said the two sides largely reached an agreement on those issues, adding that more discussions will be made to draw up a more detailed plan for the summit.

Moon and Kim agreed to hold the third-ever inter-Korean summit at Peace House, a South Korean building in the Panmunjom, also called Joint Security Area (JSA) inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas.

Local media speculations said Kim was forecast to walk past blue buildings inside the truce village, which straddles the two Koreas, to cross the military demarcation line (MDL) on foot.

Moon was expected to greet the DPRK leader right in front of the concrete slab between the blue buildings, which actually serves as an inter-Korean land border inside Panmunjom, shaking historic hands with Kim.

Whether Moon and Kim will hold a joint press conference after their summit was not known yet.

A total of 12 delegates from the two sides met for over five hours from 10:00 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) at Tongilgak, a DPRK building in Panmunjom, to prepare for the upcoming summit.

The South Korean delegation was led by Kim Sang-gyun, senior director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

The DPRK delegation was headed by Kim Chang Son, an official from the State Affairs Commission.