Establishment of the First Emergency Contact Line Between the Leaders of North and South Korea

A week before the meeting of the leaders of the two Koreas, it was announced on Friday, April 20, that an emergency contact line has been established between officials of the two countries, and the officials conducted a four-minute test call. The South Korean presidential office reported that with the establishment of the emergency contact line, a 'successful test call lasting four minutes and 19 seconds' took place between official representatives in the offices of the leaders of both countries. This call occurred one week before the historic meeting between the two leaders. Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in are scheduled to meet next Friday in the demilitarized zone between the two countries, and according to Seoul, the phone conversation between the two leaders 'will help facilitate negotiations and resolve misunderstandings during periods of tension.' The official meeting of the two leaders has only occurred twice before, once in 2000 and again in 2007. International media view the upcoming meeting between the leaders of the two Koreas as a precursor to a historic meeting between the leaders of the United States and North Korea regarding the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Moon Jae-in, the President of South Korea, announced on Thursday that Pyongyang has accepted that the withdrawal of American troops from the peninsula will not be raised as a condition for denuclearization. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. has about 28,000 military personnel stationed in South Korea, and North Korea has always cited the withdrawal of these troops as a precondition for halting its nuclear activities. The South Korean president stated during a lunch with reporters that the U.S. is unwilling to accept a proposal that makes the withdrawal of its troops a precondition, and ultimately, the North Korean leader 'has agreed to drop this issue as a non-nuclear condition to encourage a spirit of cooperation and diplomacy.' While reports indicate that the historic meeting between the U.S. and North Korean leaders is likely to take place in the next two months, the venue has not yet been announced, and details of the recent visit by the CIA director to North Korea and his meeting with its leader have not been released. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denied on Friday that his country would host the meeting, stating that Moscow has not made any proposal to host it. On the other hand, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that his meeting with the North Korean leader will take place in the coming weeks and will address the issue of denuclearization on the peninsula. Mr. Trump, speaking at a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Washington, added: 'I hope this meeting will be a great success, but if I think it will be a useless meeting, I will leave.' However, Donald Trump emphasized that maximum pressure on North Korea will continue until denuclearization is achieved. North Korea and the U.S. have had hostile relations since the end of the Korean War in 1953, and Pyongyang has repeatedly threatened military action against the U.S. and its allies in the region. North Korea's nuclear and missile tests have also been accompanied by severe UN Security Council sanctions against the country. Regarding the Central Committee meeting of the ruling party in North Korea, while news about important party meetings is usually released after they conclude without details, the North Korean state news agency announced on Thursday that the Central Committee meeting of the 'Workers' Party of Korea' will be held on Friday. The official North Korean news agency stated that the topic of this meeting is 'discussion and decision-making on political matters in a new phase.' Reuters reported on Friday afternoon that it is unclear whether this meeting has taken place yet. Over the past two years, these meetings have been held under the leadership of Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader. According to the Associated Press, around one hundred members of the ruling party, along with slightly fewer other political figures, are expected to attend the Central Committee meeting.