US, N Korea agree to another summit

SEOUL: Kim Jong Un has agreed to hold a second summit with US President Donald Trump as soon as possible, Seoul said on Sunday, after Washington’s top diplomat held “productive” talks on denuclearisation with the North Korean leader in Pyongyang.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo met with Kim on Sunday for around two hours of talks followed by a lunch in the North’s capital, before flying to Seoul on a whirlwind diplomatic visit to the region. Pompeo said “he agreed with Chairman Kim to hold the second US-North Korea summit at the earliest date possible,” South Korea’s presidential office said , though time or location have not been agreed.

Pompeo and Kim also discussed “denuclearisation steps that will be taken by North Korea and the issue of attendance by the US government,” as well as “corresponding measures” to be taken by the US, the statement said. The visit was Pompeo’s fourth to North Korea.

Trump met Kim in Singapore in June for the first-ever summit between the countries, resulting in what critics say was only a vague commitment by Kim towards denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. “We continue to make progress on agreements made at Singapore Summit,” Pompeo tweeted.

Kim also praised their “nice meeting”, telling Pompeo via an interpreter it was “a very nice day that promises a good future ... for both countries.”

Since the Singapore summit, the road towards warmer ties has been bumpy. Washington and Pyongyang have sparred over the exact terms of the vaguely worded agreement in Singapore, with the US pushing to maintain sanctions and pressure against the North until its “final, fully verified denuclearisation”.