Kim Jong-un: Moon Jae-in gave North Korea a ‘vision’ of co-operation

SOUTH Korean President gave Kim Jong-un a USB during their historic meeting last month. Its contents have now been revealed.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shake hands after signing a joint declaration on the southern side of the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarised Zone last month. Picture: Yonhap

SOUTH Korean President Moon Jae-in has laid out plans for bringing its secretive neighbour in from the cold with a blueprint handed to Kim Jong-un in the form of a USB.

The USB was reportedly given to Kim Jong-un during last month’s inter-Korean summit and lays out a plan for greater economic co-operation between the rivals.

Their meeting marked the first time one of the ruling Kim leaders has crossed over to the southern side of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) since fighting in the Korean War stopped in 1953.

A South Korean leader last visited the North in 2007, more than a decade ago.

Mr Moon and Kim signed a joint statement that should be the first step towards North and South Korea finding peace and the Korean Peninsula becoming a nuclear-free zone.

Officials for both countries released a joint statement, formally called the “Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification on the Korean Peninsula”.

This document includes an agreement to formally end the Korean War later this year.

The Korean leaders made global headlines with their historic meeting last month. Picture: Korea Summit Press Pool/AP

However peace talks weren’t the only thing on the agenda.

According to local media reports, Mr Moon also gave his neighbour a USB drive with materials describing his vision for inter-Korean economic co-operation.

Korea JoongAng Daily also reported this could include a resumption of joint projects which had been cut or postponed under previous administrations.

South Korea’s Blue House (the President’s official residence) said the USB comprised an e-book and short presentation which outlined Mr Moon’s “New Economic Map” initiative, which he detailed last year.

The USB also contained “information related to a power plant” however the Blue House didn’t provide further details of this.

However the JoongAng Daily said this could indicate the South was giving the North an energy deal in exchange for denuclearisation.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry said the blueprint aims to create a single market for the two Koreas in order to lay the foundation for unification, job creation and higher-economic growth for both countries.

The revelation of the USB comes as US President Donald Trump prepares for his own meeting with Kim, expected to be held next month.

Not everyone is enthusiastic about the renewed signs of peace between the Korean leaders. This North Korean defector was part of a group which tried to send anti-North Korea leaflet balloons across the border. Picture: Ahn Young-joon/AP

The two leaders are likely to meet in Singapore with Mr Trump earlier indicating it could take place at the DMZ.

Mr Trump said at the weekend that the two sides had settled on a date and location for the summit — the first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader — but didn’t provide further details.

“We’ll be announcing it soon,” Mr Trump said.

South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo reported the landmark summit will take place in “mid-June” and said the chances of Singapore hosting the landmark meeting had “increased greatly” but did not go into further details.

Preparations for the landmark meeting have gained momentum since the Korean summit late last month.

North Korea has offered to close its nuclear test site this month — and invited US experts to verify the move.

Other less dramatic but notable signs of rapprochement have emerged almost daily, including North Korea moving its clocks forward by 30 minutes early on Saturday to match time with the South.

— With AFP