thanks, laura, laura bicker based in seoul for us. to. r based in seoulfor us. more on that later in the briefing. a million people have been told to evacuate their homes as the us east coast prepares for what may be strongest storm to hit the region in decades. hurricane florence is gaining strength as it approaches the coastline of south carolina. 0ur north america correspondent peter bowes reports. a monster storm that could bring catastrophic levels of rain and flooding. hurtling towards the us east coast with growing wind speeds, the authorities fear hurricane florence could have a deadly impact on several states, with the carolinas and virginia the hardest hit. it'll be dumping water on us in north carolina, all of which will flow come through south carolina, much of what's in north carolina, so we're liable to have a whole lot of flooding, particularly in the pd area. an estimated one million people are fleeing to safety, not sure whether they'll have homes to return to. we do have a plan to perhaps evacuate. we want to watch it thr

laura bicker, bbc news in seoul. studies at yonsei university in seoul told me that north korea is sending an encouraging message to the south as well as the us. it is a deliberate choice by kim jong—un. he is well aware that the world is watching, that the audience of one donald trump was certainly watching to see what did he do in terms of putting the icbms in particular out or not. so it's a symbol of restraint, it's a symbol that i think we also have to look at in the context of other things that are going on. there is a flurry of inter—korean diplomacy. the south korean president is headed up to pyonyang and so it is a positive message, encouraging message for president moon here, that he can maybe move things forward a little bit. and then the other key context for not putting out the big stuff, for not rolling out the icbms is this issue of kim jong—un announcing a shift — he announced back in april — of the national strategy away from progressing the nuclear programme to now putting all effort on economic dev

laura bicker, bbc news, seoul. laura: for more, i spoke a brief time ago with jung pak, a former cia analyst who isfonow the kora dation chair at the brookings institution. you know this so well, the north koreans and how they act.is his out of their playbook to restart negotiations, or is it a smokescreen?: ju anyone is good at pageantry and summitry, it is k north korea, a jong-un has learned those lessons from his father, who also practice such pageantry. what came out of the summit is interesting. we have to disaggregate the military, the inter-korean issues, versushe nuclear issues with the u.s. laura: but already we have had the secretary of state offered to restart negottions and we -- and to meet the foreign minister in new york next week at the u.n. isn't that what the north koreans wanted? jung: righti this is great ng to get the talks between the u.s. and north korea restarte secretary pompeo and the department of state had already come out to say that the u.s. is ready to meet north korea at any time, an

laura bicker, bbc news in seoul.n's tennis over how the us open final came to an end. open final came to an end. with all the sport now, here's lizzie greenwood—hughes at the bbc sport centre. thanks very much. serena williams has been fined for her outburst in last night's us open final. serena williams has been fined for her outburst in last night's us open final. the 23—time grand slam winner lost the match to naomi osaka after being penalised for breaking a number of rules. afterwards she accused the umpire of sexism. john watson reports. you owe me an apology, i have never cheated in my life! serena williams, furious for being warned at receiving on court instructions, the actions of her code interpreted by the umpire as breaking grand slam rules. trailing name a sack in the women's final, points penalty for oui’ women's final, points penalty for our broken racket followed before serena williams was fine again for verbally abusing the umpire. you will never be on a court of mine. you stole a point from me. you a

from seoul, laura bicker reports. their usual zeal, a disciplined display, perfected after months of painful practice. it is meant to show devotion. there was something missing from kim jung—un's parade. he may have rolled out the tanks and artillery but there was no sign of intercontinental ballistic missiles, the subject of international sanctions. this less provocative display reflects mr kim's recent charm offensive. he's written another letter to the us president to try and get talks back on track. and once again, here he is playing the diplomat, this time showing off his friendship with china, saluting the crowds with president xi's envoy. but the invited cameras are told where to point, amidst the waving pyongyang elite. frankly there is very little doubt that north koreans are determined to remain nuclear in the foreseeable future. but right now, they don't want to advertise it. the bbc was not invited to pyongyang but we did speak to north korean defectors, who took part in past events. they told us it can ta

laura bicker, bbc news, in seoul. murder after a man was stabbed in barnsley yesterday. ayaan ali, of isleworth, west london, has also been charged with affray after a man was stabbed in barnsley yesterday. and possession of an offensive weapon and remanded in custody. she is due to appear at barnsley magistrates‘ court tomorrow. £7.5 million worth of class a drugs and 20 handguns have been seized by border force officers in dover. two polish men in their thirties were referred to the national crime agency for investigation after their truck was intercepted on friday morning. a senior investigating officer said the "substantial seizure" could have posed a significant risk to life if it had reached the hands of criminals. six royal navy sailors have been arrested in florida, accused of being drunk and disorderly while on shore leave they‘re crew from britain‘s newest aircraft carrier, hms queen elizabeth, which docked there on its maiden voyage. reports say the men were fighting and urinating in public, and at least on

laura bicker, bbc news in seoul.at pension reforms have staged protests across the country. the jailed opposition leader, alexei navalny, called for the rallies. there's widespread discontent over the pension changes, which will force men and women to work five extra years. these pictures are from st petersburg, where a protest was broken up by riot police. one monitoring group says at least 800 protesters have been detained across the country. more than 80 people are reported to have been killed in fighting around the vital yemeni port of hodeida. medical sources have been quoted as saying that more than seventy houthi rebels and eleven pro—government soldiers have died. the clashes follow the failure of the un's efforts to bring yemen's warring parties together for peace talks in geneva. seven people have been killed and 20 injured in kabul in a suicide attack on a political march. the bomber detonated his explosives close to cars and motorbikes which carried supporters of the former mujahideen leader, ahmad shah m

laura bicker, bbc news, seoul.unct senior fellow with the center for a new american security. she's in seoul. do we think this denuclearisation of isa do we think this denuclearisation of is a genuine one7 you know, that remains to be seen. i will actually say i'm sceptical for now, i hope i'm proven wrong but based on what we know publicly, the ball has not been moved forward at all. now, that said, what's important is what president moon tells president trump later in new york on the sidelines of the un general assembly, and even more important is what the north koreans will end up telling washington in private channels. and so, you know, we really need to wait and see. but, that said also, it is notable or noteworthy that the north has said there willing to dismantle their nuclear plant... site, and there are difficult ways to interpret that. on the one hand, it's not nothing, it's something, but they've got some old reactors, they've got a processing line. if those two are dismantled, it constrains their pluton

laura bicker, bbc news in seoul.perts from the auditors kpmg to try and improve its financial position. the move follows three profit warnings from the retailer in the last year. debenhams' share price has also fallen by two—thirds since january. a group representing religious education teachers and faith organisations has called for big changes to the way the subject is taught in england. the commission for religious education says children should learn about atheism and humanism, as well as the main faiths, to better reflect modern britain. returning to their general election in sweden where the swedish democrats have made significant gains with the centre right and centre left blocs running neck and neck. we re—established contact with annika rothstein, who is going to govern them? the country is waiting for the conservative bloc to offer to work with the swedish democrats. if they don't, they will be no change because we are looking at a situation where the centre—left bloc has a mandate of 144 seats and the cons

laura bicker, bbc news, seoul. stay with us on bbc news.tician bobi wine flies home to take on the president who's ruled for three decades. ben johnson, the fastest man on earth, is flying home to canada in disgrace. all the athletes should be clean going into the games. i'm just happy that justice is served. it is a simple fact that this morning, these people were in their homes. tonight, those homes have been burnt down by serbian soldiers and police. all the taliban positions along here have been strengthened, presumably in case the americans invade. it's no use having a secret service which cannot preserve its own secrets against the world. and so the british government has no option but to continue this action, and even after any adverse judgement in australia. concorde had crossed the atlantic faster than any plane ever before, breaking the record by six minutes. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: hundreds of people are missing in northern tanzania after a ferry capsized on lake victoria. more than a0 are confirmed dead. th

from seoul, laura bicker reports.usual zeal, a disciplined display perfected after months of painful practice. it is meant to show devotion. these pilots certainly gave it their all. there was something missing from kimjung un‘s parade. he may have rolled out the tanks and artillery but there was no sign of intercontinental ballistic missiles, the subject of international sanctions. this less provocative display reflects kimjung un‘s recent charm offensive. he has written another letter to the us president to try and get talks back on track. once again, here he is playing the diplomat, this time showing off his friendship with china. the remaining fervour was saved for its economic prowess, nurses, doctors, engineers were all part of the occasion. but the invited cameras are told where to point, amidst the waving pyongyang elite. outside the city, there are fears that north korea is on the verge of a food crisis as crops fail after a heatwave. the kim family show the world only what they want it to see, like the missi

laura bicker, bbc news in seoul.or of chinese studies at. but to have you with us. do what you make the absence of ballistic missile is and the toned down the rhetoric we saw during the pageant. it isa rhetoric we saw during the pageant. it is a deliberate choice by kim jong—un. he is aware that the world is watching and that the audience of one donald trump was watching to see what he did in terms of putting the missiles out from not. it is a symbol of restraint, a symbol that i think we have to look at in the context of other things that are going on. there is a flurry of inter— korean diplomacy. the south korean president is headed to pyonyang and it is a positive and encouraging message for president of moon that he can maybe move things forward. the other key context for not putting out the big stuff is this issue of kim jong and announcing a shift that he announced backin announcing a shift that he announced back in april of the national strategy. away from progressing the nuclear programme to now putting all e

laura bicker reports from seoul.eant to show devotion and military might. but on this occasion a key piece of north korea's hardware was missing. of course, there was the usual fervour from kim jong—un's foot soldiers. but the most advanced ballistic missiles were kept out of sight. it seems kimjong—un has decided not to provoke the united states at this sensitive time. instead, he took the hand of china's envoy, showing the world he has powerful friends. the bbc was not invited to pyongyang, but we did speak to north korean defectors who took part in past events. translation: it really was a painful experience. the people suffered. this was just days and days of pain and suffering. it can take up to six months to prepare, ten hours of rehearsals a day with very little food. the goose—stepping in particular is difficult to master, especially while turning your head towards the dear leader. translation: you have to lift up the back leg at the same time your front leg hits the ground. this is very difficult. if you do

laura bicker, bbc news, seoul.ore on the bbc news website, with a special section on the korean peninsula and coverage from our team on the ground. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. the woman who's accused donald trump's supreme court nominee of sexual assault, has been given a deadline of 10am on friday to say whether she will give evidence to the senatejudiciary committee next monday. christine blasey ford says she was attacked by brett kavanaugh at a party in the 1980s. mr kavanaugh denies the claim. katty kay has more. christine blasey ford says she has received death threats and has had to move house since the allegation against brett kavanaugh was made public on sunday. mr trump's sympathies today seemed to be more with the accused than the accuser. as you know, justice kavanagh has been treated very tough and his family, i think it is a very unfair thing what is going on. dr ford's lawyers have written to the senate judiciary committee sang she does not want to appear with the judge and want

laura bicker, bbc news, in seoul.weden after a general election expected to result in a far right party becoming the second biggest in parliament. the campaign of the sweden democrats focused on immigration and crime. our correspondentjenny hill is in stockholm now. what are you hearing? good evening. this is likely to be an historic night for swedish politics. the people behind me are supporters of the ruling party. the prime minister arrived ten minutes ago in order to watch the very first exit polls coming in. they are nervous because this party and in fact the entire political establishment here is under significant pressure from a far right party, the anti—migrant, anti—eu party. the swedish democrats have done well in the party ever since sweden took in more people seeking asylum in ahead of the population than any other european country. they've really got the establishment here on the run. it's going to be a very tense night i think here and the ruling party's headquarters. if the sweden democrats do as well a

laura bicker, bbc news, seoul.re on our website about the meeting between the leaders of the two koreas. just log on to bbc.com/news. let's take a look at some of the day's other news: the world anti—doping agency has ended a three—year suspension on russia. the ban was put in place after a report found state—sponsored cheating during international sporting events, including the 2014 sochi olympic games. some athletes and other nations opposed ending russia's exile. 0ur sports editor dan roan has more. this is one of the most controversial and divisive decisions ever reached by wada, in its 19—year history, defying an unprecedented outcry from athlete and figures in the anti—doping community. it's worth remembering that russia was punished three years ago for an extraordinary state—sponsored doping scandal. they were found to have sabotaged events like the london 2012 games. it spread across 30 sports, 1,000 athletes. but today's reinstatement of its anti—doping agency means that once again it can test its own athl

from seoul, laura bicker has the latest. pyongyang's mass games are meant to awe and inspire. it's because of their elaborate routines. but tonight, a special guest from the south earned the applause. president moonjae—in, the son of north korean refugees, has spent decades dreaming of this moment. translation: we have lived together for 5,000 years and been separated for 70 years. i propose that we should completely end the past 70 years of hostility and take a big stride of peace, to become one again. cheering and applause the visit has brought a bit of a breakthrough. north korea has agreed to let experts watch a missile launch site being dismantled. mr kim said he would do more if the us also made concessions. translation: we have agreed to make the korean peninsula a land of peace that is free from nuclear weapons and nuclear threats. applause but the deal doesn't go as far as the us had hoped. it doesn't mention the north's current nuclear arsenal, or if they'll even stop building weapons. but he may have done enough to persuade president trump to offer this peninsula a

laura bicker, bbc news, seoul. in six months' time, britain will leave the european union.king at some of the questions being asked about brexit and what it means. tonight, our business editor simonjack looks at what could happen to businesses that buy and sell goods outside the uk. will we be richer or poorer? will it definitely happen? why haven't we left yet? how will trade work after brexit? trade in action at the port of felixstowe. when we talk about trade, we simply mean the amount we buy from and sell to the rest of the world. how will it be affected by brexit? well, to get an idea of where we're headed, it's worth taking a look at where we are now. ok, let's have a closer look. the uk sold £616 billion worth of goods and services to the rest of the world last year. of that, we sold 44% of them to the eu. now, we imported or bought £642 billion worth of stuff from the rest of the world and, of that, we bought 53% of it from the eu. so does that mean that they need us more than we need them? not really, because the eu, of course, is much bigger than the uk. of the eu

laura bicker reports. a warm hug and a handshake. the leaders of these two countries, which are technically still at war, greeted one another like old friends. and for this chosen north korean girl, she got a hug from a president she probably never dreamed would set foot in her country. moonjae—in took time with the carefully—arranged crowds. they were dressed in their best to welcome this son of north korean refugees. more choreography was to come. tens of thousands lined the streets as the leaders' motorcade made its way through the city. their shout means "0ne korea," a cry for reunification. but president moon can't enjoy this moment for too long. he has a lot of work to do. away from the cheering masses, he must persuade kimjong—un to take steps to disarm. i think the most important thing is that the progress of the last year needs to keep going forward. we cannot ever go back to another situation of fire and fury, of kim jong—un threatening to send missiles near guam. we might not escape that situati

laura bicker, bbc news, seoul. hurt after a car struck several people outside a north london islamic centre. witnesses described hearing the driver shouting anti—islamic taunts at the muslim prayer centre in cricklewood. the met police said the incident is being dealt with as an islamophobic hate crime, but is not thought to be terror—related. an inquest has heard how a boy with a severe dairy allergy died after he was chased by another pupil who threw cheese down his t—shirt. karanbir cheema suffered a serious allergic reaction and went into anaphylactic shock at his west london school in june last year. another boy, who was 13 at the time, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder but has not been charged. tesco has unveiled a new brand of discount store, called jack's, which it hopes will compete with the likes of rival budget brands aldi and lidl. the new stores will have a smaller range of products than tesco, and a simplified design. the launch comes at a time when tesco is being squeezed by a possible me

laura bicker, bbc news, seoul. stay with us on bbc news. home to ta ke politician bobi wine returned home to take on the president who has called for three decades. —— ruled. 30 hours after the earthquake that devastated mexico city, rescue teams still have no idea just how many people have died. well, there is people alive and there is people not alive. we just can help and give them whatever we've got. it looked as though they had come to fight a war, but their mission is to bring peace to east timor, and nowhere on earth needs it more badly. the government's case is being forcefully presented by monsieur badinter, the justice minister. he's campaigned vigorously for abolition, having once witnessed one of his clients being executed. elizabeth seton spent much of her time at this grotto, and every year, hundreds of pilgrimages are made here. now that she's become a saint, it's expected that this area will be inundated with tourists. the mayor and local businessmen regard the anticipated boom as yet another blessing of st elizabeth. this i

from seoul, laura bicker reports. our correspondent laura bicker in the south korean capital seoul.something missing from the parade. he may have rolled out the ta nks parade. he may have rolled out the tanks and artillery but there was no sign of the missiles, the subject of international sanctions. this less provocative display reflects the recent charm offensive. he has written another letter to the us president to try to get talks back on track. and once again, here he is playing the diplomat. this time showing off his friendship with china, saluting the crowd with the envoy. the remaining fervour was saved for the economic prowess of north korea. nurses and engineers we re north korea. nurses and engineers were pa rt of north korea. nurses and engineers were part of the occasion. but the invited cameras are told where to point amidst the waving elite. outside the city there are fears north korea is on the verge of a food crisis after crops fail after a heatwave. the ruling family showing what they want the world to see. just like the missiles, there is so much hidden from view

laura bicker, thank you, live in seoul.xt year. the county councils network, which represents many of those local authorities, is warning that the savings will mean more "unpalatable" cuts. our correspondent alison holt is here. these are more cuts on top of cuts that already had to be made by local councils? yes, this is probably the clearest warning yet of how much pain local authorities fear lie ahead. we‘ve had places like northamptonshire county council this year failing northamptonshire county council this yearfailing to northamptonshire county council this year failing to balance northamptonshire county council this yearfailing to balance its books, we‘ve had other authorities who have had to make cuts to services during this financial year, but the county council network, which represents 36 of the largest authorities, is warning that already those councils have identified more than £1 billion worth of cuts which will have to be made by 2020 to plug a billion funding gap. they argue that they are caught between a ro

laura bicker reports from seoul.ice. it is meant to show devotion. these pilots certainly gave it their all. but there was something missing from kim jong—un's parade. he may have rolled out the tanks and artillery, but there was no sign of intercontinental ballistic missiles — the subject of international sanctions. this less provocative display reflects mr kim's recent charm offensive. he's written another letter to the us president to try to get talks back on track. and, once again, here he is playing the diplomat — this time showing off his friendship with china, saluting the crowds with president xi's envoy. but the invited cameras are told where to point amidst the waving pyongyang elite. the bbc wasn't invited to pyongyang but we spoke to north korean defectors who took part in past events. translation: it really was a painful experience. people suffered but even the party officials suffered. we had to guarantee the success of the ceremony from the beginning to the end. this was days and days of pain and suffe

joining me now from the south korean capital seoul is our correspondent laura bicker. he pictures, much fanfare, red carpet was rolled out. tell us about this historic meeting. foreign press aren't allowed to be there. the pictures show as it was a very warm greeting. hugs and smiles between kim jong—un greeting. hugs and smiles between kimjong—un and greeting. hugs and smiles between kim jong—un and the president. hundreds lining the runway, waving flags depicting a unified korea and flags depicting a unified korea and flags of the north korean flag, carrying flowers as well as a warm greeting for the president. yes, this is a very warm welcome, a very warm start but president moon, the self appointed mediator, has a lot of work to do because talks between the united states and north korea have stalled. they don't look like they are moving forward. north korean state media has already said it's down to the stubbornness of the united states. why? north korea wa nts united states. why? north korea wants an end to the korean war. they say they are not prepared to take any

we can cross live now to our correspondent in seoul, laura bicker. this a reason for optimism? it is a reason for optimism? it is a reason for optimism between certainly north and south korea. a three—day visit, it is quite a long visit, and a long time for president moon and kim jong—un to talk about the issues between the two countries. there is a bit ofa between the two countries. there is a bit of a problem for president noon to try to work out, and that is the impasse that exists between north korea and the united states. and that is because of the timing and what both countries want. north korea wants an end of war declaration. remember, the korean war ended in 1953 in an armistice, not a peace treaty, and since kim jong—un took to the global stage in january, the one thing he has been after, the one thing his father and his grandfather never achieved, was a peace treaty, and end of war declaration, and it is something that south korea wants as well. the us, however, is unwilling to give it until north korea hands over its nuclear weapons, or at

our correspondant, laura bicker, is in seoulfor us now.south korean leaderfor a decade to visit young yang. visit young yang. over several hours they appear to have come to a deal. they appear to have come to a deal. the headlines are this. dismantle a launched site and let in independent inspectors. independent inspectors. —— get rid of and destroy one of his nuclear sites. nuclear sites. he will only do that if the us acts in return. if the us acts in return. want is they want the peace agreement. agreement. people that can give him that is the us. us. these details to let the us give them what they want? them what they want? the murky world of international politics. of international politics. thank you for that. tv host and comedy writer denis norden has died aged 96. at the royal free hospital in north london. alright on the night. material for another cock—up programme. doing all year. of thing they don't tell you about on media training courses. as usual, i'm the price you have to pay for the funny bits. i loved that programme. it u

our seoul correspondent, laura bicker, is in the south korean capital. are just beginning to get our first news from the parade, 134 journalists were invited, but not the bbc. what we are hearing is that intercontinental ballistic missiles, normally central to the parade, were not on display. instead, doctors, engineers, factory workers were central to what north korea wanted to show off. there is a huge reason for that. that is because they are currently trying to be in talks with the united states about both disarmament and ending the korean war. when the fighting ended in 1953 it ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. north korea wants to change that. they want a declaration to end the war. many people believe thatis to end the war. many people believe that is because they want us troops off the korean peninsula and away from influencing the korean peninsula. the united states, president trump, once north korea to disarm. that is why the talks have stopped. —— wants north korea to disarm. but this huge parade has taken place, disarm. but this hug

laura bicker, bbc news, seoul. jane: during a press conference today, president trump says he is considering an increase o p u.s. troops and to fight against russian aggression. this will not be the first time the united states has helped to protect poland from its intrusive neighbor. a new book looks at the cia's secret mission to free poland from the soviet domination of europe during the cold war. every time ago i spoke with -a brief time ago i spoke with the author of "a covert action," seth jones. how involved was the u.s. in thp overthrow of tish government? seth: i would say it slightly differently. the u.s. was heavilyidnvolved in prg covert assistance to the primary opposition movement in poland, which is solidarity, settinup shop in western europe, countries like france, using black-market networks to smuggle material into solidarity covertly under the noses of the kgb and polish intelligence. it was a stunning development. jane: how much was actually known about this episode? th: well, there were some in

live now to the bbc‘s laura bicker in the south korean capital, seoul.nt welcome to south korean envoys to the one given to the american envoy. we have some breaking news, we can tell you the next inter— korean summit, the third between kim jong—un and moonjae—in will be between september 18 and 20th. he will become the first south korean leader in more than a decade to visit pyongyang. the welcome to the south koreans was warm and friendly and it appears the two sides have managed to french frankly. in a press conference, the south korean envoy said kim jong—un has expressed his frustration is with the world that they do not believe his will to denuclearise and says he wants to denuclearise the eyre peninsula. he wants to come to a peace settlement. —— the korean peninsula. he wants to come to an agreement within the next few weeks before president ben visits the north. —— president moonjae—in. everyone welcomes the news of the summit but there are problems stalling denuclearisation? the main problem seems to be what comes first. the us wants kimjong—un

the bbc‘s laura bicker is in the south korean capital, seoul.mosphere of this meeting. i think when it comes to north and south, what this gathering seems to show, and certainly from the photos we have, is that there is camaraderie between the two sides. kim jong—un is seen laughing and joking with hands on shoulders, plenty of smiles and handshakes all around. that said, that is similar to the meeting they had back in the spring which led to the talk between the two countries and then a meeting between president trump and kim jong—un. what it is in stark contrast to is the welcome that the us secretary of state received a few months back where he did not get to meet kim jong—un. here we have a special envoy for the south korean president getting a special treatment that that was not extended to the us secretary of state. denuclearisation is still at the top of the agenda for north, south korea and the us? the sticking point is this. what should come first? after the negotiations and after the summit in singapore, what we are seeing is the north

from seoul, here's our correspondent laura bicker.at joint this building is, in essence, a factor atjoint korean this building is, in essence, a factor at joint korean embassy. this building is, in essence, a factor atjoint korean embassy. it is the first time since the korean war where the two sides will be able to talk 2a hours a day for 365 days a year. now, how it will work is that officials from the north and the south, about 15 to 20 each will both be in the building, a floor each, and there will be a meeting floor where they can talk about various tensions. in the past communication came via fax or special phone lines, but during times of tension those communication lines were often cut. so this is a structure where they can both talk at any structure where they can both talk atany time, structure where they can both talk at any time, even when there are tensions. now, this all comes ahead of resident moon, south korea's leader, going to pyongyang next week. —— president moon. he will be the first south korean leader to visitjo

laura bicker is in seoul with more reaction on the summit.eceived, unbelievable. i mean, i think the scenes in pyongyang when you saw them dressed in their best kind of hanbok — korean hanbok dresses and best suits, waving, shouting for unification, as president moon and kim jong—un waved from the open—top car — amazing propaganda coup for kim jong—un. president moon looks happy, he looks relaxed, and there certainly seems to be some chemistry between the two. the problem he has is the interest here in seoul doesn't seem to be as high as previous summits. i mean, we went around having a look, to see if anyone was watching, but that just wasn't happening here in seoul. what we're hearing is that they're more concerned about the economy. so president moon, if he's going to make progress in north korea, he has to do it fast. in fact, he has to do it on this visit. babita, i'm also hearing from the united states overnight, certainly according to lindsey graham, who is a senior senator there, he's been tweeting saying that he fears president moon

from seoul, laura bicker explained the significance.int korean embassy, it is the first time since the korean war where the two sides will be able to talk 2a hours a day for 365 days a year. how it will work is officials from the north and the south, about 15 — 20 each, will be in the building, a floor each, and there will be meeting floor where they can talk about various tensions. in the part, communication came fire fax or phone came via fax or phone lines but during tension those lines were often cut so this is a structure where they could both talk at any time, even when there are tensions. this comes ahead of president moon, south korea's leader, heading to pyongyang next week. he will be the first south korean to visit pyongyang in over a decade. he has a job to do. president moon the mediator will try to get concrete steps from kim jong—un to get some kind of concrete promise out of him with regards to disarmament. he will try to break the diplomatic deadlock existing between the us and north korea currently. what this building,

president moon will restart stalled talks on north korea nuclear disarmament. 0ur seoul correspondent laura bickerdifferent views of these talks with the north. you were in north korea k for "days we know those talks are going to happen very soon. andray abrahamian is from the griffith asia institute in australia, who's recently come back from north korea. hejoins me now from seoul. thank you for being back with us. we saw the moon —— the moment that moon jae—in left from seoul, how confident are you that we will get something concrete from these meetings? i am fairly confident that moonjae—in will come back with something. i don't think it would ta ke something. i don't think it would take a massive delegation, over 200 people, along with him if he wasn't confident that he would be able to bring something back, close to show the americans that the north koreans are serious about denuclearisation, and something to show his and people in south korea who have seen his domestic agenda, his economic agenda, start to flounder. i think in terms of what he needs to show the americans, some immediate step

our seoul correspondent laura bicker has been speaking to two south koreans who have very different viewsore on this. andray abrahamian is from the griffith asia institute in australia, who's recently come back from north korea. hejoins me now from seoul. welcome to the programme. you spent 11 days in north korea, you must have spoken to quite a few people. did any tell you how they would felt about their leader and his policies at the moment? i think, overall, north koreans view the process the way most of us in the rest of the world a re way most of us in the rest of the world are looking at it as well. that is with considerable excitement at the beginning of the year with the prospect of real change at then as the months have dragged on without any breakthrough, a little bit of cynicism and worry that, you know, it is something that we have seen before. that sentiment was something i heard pyongyang, you hear it in the south korean capital as well. are serious to using north korea is about denuclearisation? well... that is, in essence, a problem for later. i do think it is difficult to

let's talk to laura bicker in the south korean capital, seoul this seems to have been a slightly toned to expect on many occasions from north korea but as you rightly point out there were tanks, artillery, wednesday, the goose—stepping soldiers but missing we re goose—stepping soldiers but missing were the intercontinental of the stick missiles which many believe are capable of reaching the united states. but showing them at this centre that time would perhaps have revoked the us, this is the time for north korea is dry to be a bit more diplomatic, dry to talk to donald trump. they want something, they wa nt trump. they want something, they wantan end trump. they want something, they want an end to the korean war, that endedin want an end to the korean war, that ended in 53, the fighting did at least, but it ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty and now kimjong armistice, not a peace treaty and now kim jong and armistice, not a peace treaty and now kimjong and not armistice, not a peace treaty and now kim jong and not only ones that peace treaty but he also wants economic sanctio

sensitive time as efforts to ease tensions with the united states have stalled. 0ur correspondent laura bickerance of that decision not to parade ballistic missiles. a little bit of a softer approach, not what we've come to expect on many occasions from north korea but as you rightly point out there were those tanks, artillery, weapons, those tanks, artillery, weapons, those goose—stepping soldiers but missing were the intercontinental ballistic missile test which many believe are capable of reaching the united states. but showing them at this sensitive time would perhaps have provoked the us. this is a time for north korea is trying to be a bit more diplomatic, trying to talk to donald trump. they want something, they want an end to the korean war. that ended in 53, the fighting did at least but it ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. and now kimjong—un not only ones that peace treaty but he wants economic sanctions lifted. so the message that he is sending with his people and the international community with this parade is we are focused on the economy, not on building weapons. of co