N Korea silent on Trump-Kim summit

North Korea’s silence on its upcoming summits with the US and South Korea is probably due to caution over organising its stance on the meetings, the South said on Monday, as China’s leader urged patience.

North Korean media mentioned a visit by a delegation from the South last week, but no coverage has been seen of Kim Jong Un’s invitation to meet U.S. President Donald Trump or the South Korean president to discuss the future of Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme.

“We have not seen nor received an official response from the North Korean regime regarding the North Korea-U.S. summit,” Baik Tae-hyun, the spokesman of the South’s Ministry of Unification, told a regular news conference. “I feel they’re approaching this matter with caution and they need time to organise their stance.”

The South Korean officials who took Kim’s invitation to Washington are visiting China and Japan this week to update their neighbours on the talks.

South Korea’s National Security Office chief, Chung Eui-yong, who led the delegation, heads to Russia on Tuesday after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Blue House said. In Beijing on Monday, Xi told Chung the Korean peninsula faces an important opportunity for talks to ease the situation. “At the same time, all sides must exercise patience and be attentive.” REUTERS

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