President Moon Jae-in hosted a press briefing at 10 a.m. Sunday to announce the outcome of his second meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday.
The two leaders met from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Tongilgak, the North’s building in Panmunjeom, which straddles the North-South border. Cheong Wa Dae said they “candidly exchanged views about making the North Korea-U.S. summit a successful one and about implementing the Panmunjom Declaration.
In the televised briefing, Moon said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reaffirmed his willingness to denuclearize and hold a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Chairman Kim Jong-un has once again clearly expressed his commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula following his pledge in the Panmunjom Declaration and expressed his willingness to end the history of war and confrontation through the success of the North Korea-U.S. summit,” Moon said of his latest summit with the North Korean leader held Saturday.
“We two leaders agreed the June 12 North Korea-U.S. summit must be successfully held,” he said.
Moon said his meeting with the reclusive North Korean leader may help revive the Trump-Kim summit but said the fate of the historic summit will largely depend on direct dialogue between the two countries.
“All the efforts I am making now are aimed at improving the South-North Korea relationship on one hand, but on the other hand, they are also aimed at holding the North Korea-U.S. summit that is absolutely needed to improve the South-North ties,” Moon said.
“I believe whether the June 12 North Korea-U.S. summit will be disrupted or succeed depends on how successfully (the North and the U.S.) complete their working-level negotiations,” he said, adding he expected such negotiations to begin soon.
Trump earlier said the countries were currently in talks. On Sunday (Seoul time), the U.S. leader said a June 12 summit was still a possibility.
Moon said he wished to hold a three-way summit with Trump and Kim should their upcoming bilateral summit succeed.
“Should the North Korea-U.S. summit succeed, I would like to see efforts to formally end the (Korean) war through a three-way summit of the South, the North and the U.S.,” he said.
In the latest talks, the leaders of the two Koreas agreed to hold talks whenever necessary, Moon told the press conference.
“I wish to place a great meaning on the latest talks that were held as if they were an ordinary event between friends,” he said. “I am convinced that this is the way that South and North Korea must meet.
Source – The Korea Times