SEOUL, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's government on Monday invited key parliamentary leaders to the upcoming summit in Pyongyang between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Im Jong-seok, Moon's chief of staff, told a press briefing that the presidential Blue House sincerely asked National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang and vice speakers as well as the heads of all five political parties to accompany President Moon to the Pyongyang summit.
The party chiefs included Lee Hae-chan of the ruling Democratic Party and Kim Byong-jun of the main conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party. Also included in the special parliamentary delegates was Rep. Kang Seok-ho of the Liberty Korea Party who serves as the chief of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and unification.
Im said the government had led the inter-Korean exchange and cooperation in the past, but he noted that it would be more stabilized when the parliament joins the efforts.
The leaders of the two Koreas agreed to hold their third summit in Pyongyang for three days from Sept. 18.
After the first summit in April at the border village of Panmunjom, Moon and Kim signed the Panmunjom Declaration to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, stop all hostile acts and increase inter-Korean exchange.
The Moon government asked the National Assembly to ratify the Panmunjom Declaration in order to implement it regardless of political situations here, but it failed to be passed through the unicameral assembly due mainly to the opposition from the Liberty Korea Party.
The Liberty Korea Party chief reportedly said earlier in the day that he would not accompany Moon to the Pyongyang summit.
