Kim pins hopes on second summit with Trump soon
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae- in walk together during a visit to Samjiyon guesthouse near Mount Paektu in Samjiyon, North Korea, on Thursday.
Seoul, Sept. 20: Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae- in visited the spiritual birthplace of the Korean nation on Thursday for a show of unity after their North-South summit gave new momentum to Pyongyang’s negotiations with Washington.
The North Korean leader on Wednesday agreed to shutter the Tongchangri missile- testing site in the presence of international observers, a move the US welcomed by saying it was ready for immediate talks aimed at denuclearising the North.
Pyongyang also said it could dismantle its bestknown nuclear facility at Yongbyon, if the US takes “corresponding measures”, as Kim and the South Korean president held their third summit this year.
It is an important caveat — Moon told reporters on his return to Seoul that the US would need to “end hostile relations with North Korea and provide security guarantees for North Korean regime”.
Kim was hoping for a second summit with Trump “at an early date”, Moon said in Seoul after concluding his three- day trip, adding he would take the US president a message from Kim when he meets him next week.
The nuclear discussions had stalled after the first summit between Trump and Kim in Singapore in June, when Kim declared his backing for denuclearisation, but no details were agreed.
Washington and Pyongyang have subsequently sparred over what that means and how it will be achieved, with the Trump administration consistently referring to the denuclearisation of North Korea specifically.