The guesthouse was also used by two former South Korean presidents during their own summits with Kim's father, Kim Jong-il, in 2000 and 2007. Kim and Moon will hold formal talks from 4.30pm to 6pm Australian time, Moon's office said. The inter-Korean summit will be a litmus test for another meeting Kim has recently proposed to US President Donald Trump, giving clues to whether Kim is serious about denuclearisation, a commitment he made at their first encounter in June. Trump has asked Moon to be "chief negotiator" between himself and Kim, according to Moon's aides, after Trump cancelled a trip to Pyongyang by his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, last month. Washington wants to see concrete action toward denuclearisation by North Korea before agreeing to a key goal of Pyongyang - declaring an end to the 1950-53 Korean War.

"If North Korea-US dialogue is restarted after this visit, it would have much significance in itself," Moon said before his departure. South Koreans wave their national flags during a rally to wish for the successful inter-Korean summit near the presidential Blue House in Seoul. Credit:AP Underscoring the challenges ahead, North Korea's official Rodong Sinmun said on Tuesday "the responsibility falls squarely on the United States" for the stalled nuclear discussions. "It is due to its nonsensical, irrational stubbornness that other issues can only be discussed after our country has completely verifiably, irreversibly dismantled our nuclear capabilities... without showing the intention to build trust including declaring the end of war," the newspaper said in an editorial. Moon, himself the offspring of a family displaced by the war, arrived at the North's capital of Pyongyang at about 10am (11am AEST), greeted by Kim, his wife Ri Sol Ju and other top North Korean officials, before inspecting a large honour guard and a military band.

Moon and Kim were all smiles as they hugged and chatted with each other. Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of the leader and a key propaganda official, was seen preparing officials for Moon's arrival and accompanying Kim Jong-un and his wife. Visitors watch a screen showing the April 27 inter-Korean summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Credit:AP The two leaders will sit down for formal talks after lunch, which will be followed by a musical performance and welcome dinner, a South Korean official said. Accompanying corporate executives, including Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jay Lee and the chiefs of SK Group and LG Group, will meet with North Korean Deputy Prime Minister Ri Ryong-nam in charge of economic affairs.

On Wednesday, Moon and Kim are expected to unveil a joint statement, and a separate military pact designed to defuse tensions and prevent armed clashes. Moon will return home early on Thursday. This week's summit comes as the United States presses other countries to strictly observe UN sanctions aimed at choking off funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, amid growing evidence that North Korea is continuing nuclear weapons development. US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley accused Russia on Monday of "cheating" on UN sanctions on North Korea. Moon is hoping to engineer a proposal that combines a concrete framework for the North's denuclearisation and a joint declaration ending the Korean War, Seoul officials said. The war ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving US-led UN forces including South Korea technically still at war with the North.