North, South Korea plan summit for April

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will meet April 27 with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, South Korea announced Thursday after high-level talks earlier in the day. The two nations in a joint statement said they would hold an earlier meeting April 4 to plan for security and media coverage ahead of the summit. South Korea’s Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said discussions for the summit will focus on “the issues surrounding the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the stabilization of peace, and the development of relations between the South and the North.” The Korean leaders have only met twice, in 2000 and 2007, since the end of the Korean War. North Korea has continued with diplomatic moves this year following its cooperation with the South during the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February. Earlier on Wednesday, North Korea confirmed Kim made a surprise visit to China. Following his visit to Beijing, China said Kim pledged to denuclearize the Korean peninsula.