US officials cross border to save Kim summit

AMERICAN officials crossed into North Korea yesterday to press ahead with preparations for an on-off summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jongun, the latest twist in a frantic round of diplomatic manoeuvring to salvage the meeting.

It came after the South Korean president declared that Kim had reaffirmed his commitment to meet the US president and to “complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula”.

Hours earlier Mr Trump said he believed the summit could still take place on June 12 despite his abrupt decision to cancel it late last week.

It left analysts warning that the result could be little more than a hurriedly arranged photo opportunity between Mr Trump and Kim, rather than a historic opportunity to usher in a new era of peace and stability. Even so, planning continued.

American and South Korean media reported that Sung Kim, a former US ambassador to South Korea who has taken part in past nuclear negotiations with Pyongyang, had arrived for talks with Choe Son Hui, the North Korean vice foreign minister.

The Washington Post, citing an offi- cial familiar with the plans, said he was accompanied by Allison Hooker, the Korea specialist on the National Security Council.

It said the meetings were expected to continue until tomorrow at Tongilgak, or “Unification House”, the building in the DMZ where Kim met Moon Jae-in, the South Korean president, on Saturday night for impromptu talks.

Mr Moon told reporters that he and Kim agreed the summit should take place and said the North Korean leader “again made clear his commitment” to denuclearisation.

But he added that Pyongyang had doubts that Washington would guarantee its stability and security.

“What Kim is unclear about is that he has concerns about whether his country can surely trust the United States over its promise to end hostile relations and provide a security guarantee,” Mr Moon said.

He has emerged as an optimistic gobetween, repeatedly talking up Kim’s commitment to progress despite doubts elsewhere that the regime would ever give up weapons it has long insisted were key to its survival.

Victor Cha, former director of Asian affairs on the National Security Council and who was expected to become Mr Trump’s ambassador to Seoul until he disagreed with White House policy, said the focus on summit logistics overshadowed the real stumbling block. “We’re all focused on the rollercoaster but in terms of substance, the key issue is: are they going to give up their nuclear weapons? And I think unfortunately the answer is no,” he told NBC.