By Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will meet by May and Kim has pledged to refrain from further nuclear or missile tests, South Korea’s national security chief said on Thursday after briefing White House officials on talks between Seoul and Pyongyang.
In this Aug. 10, 2017, file photo, a man watches a television screen showing U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Train Station in Seoul, South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File / MANILA BULLETIN)
“Kim pledged that North Korea will refrain from any further nuclear or missile test,” South Korea’s National Security Office head Chung Eui-yong told reporters at the White House.
“He expressed his eagerness to meet President Trump as soon as possible,” he said. “President Trump appreciated the briefing and said he would meet Kim Jong Un by May to achieve denuclearization,” Chung said.
A meeting between Kim and Trump, who have exchanged bellicose insults in the past year that have raised fear of war, would mark a dramatic breakthrough in efforts to resolve the tense standoff over North Korea’s effort to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.
A South Korean delegation on Thursday hand-delivered a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to the White House for U.S. President Donald Trump, CNN reported, citing an unnamed foreign diplomatic source.
President Donald Trump agreed to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a place and time to be determined, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on Thursday.
“President Trump greatly appreciates the nice words of the South Korean delegation and President Moon. He will accept the invitation to meet with Kim Jong Un at a place and time to be determined. We look forward to the denuclearization of North Korea. In the meantime, all sanctions and maximum pressure must remain,” she said in a statement.
Trump’s aides have been wary of North Korea’s diplomatic overtures because of its history of reneging on international commitments.
Chung and National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon flew to Washington earlier on Thursday to explain North Korea’s stance on possible future talks with Washington and the prospect of Pyongyang suspending nuclear tests if the security of the North’s government is assured.
Earlier Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that though “talks about talks” might be possible with Pyongyang, denuclearization negotiations were likely a long way off.
In this Aug. 10, 2017, file photo, a man watches a television screen showing U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Train Station in Seoul, South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File / MANILA BULLETIN)
“Kim pledged that North Korea will refrain from any further nuclear or missile test,” South Korea’s National Security Office head Chung Eui-yong told reporters at the White House.
“He expressed his eagerness to meet President Trump as soon as possible,” he said. “President Trump appreciated the briefing and said he would meet Kim Jong Un by May to achieve denuclearization,” Chung said.
A meeting between Kim and Trump, who have exchanged bellicose insults in the past year that have raised fear of war, would mark a dramatic breakthrough in efforts to resolve the tense standoff over North Korea’s effort to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.
A South Korean delegation on Thursday hand-delivered a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to the White House for U.S. President Donald Trump, CNN reported, citing an unnamed foreign diplomatic source.
President Donald Trump agreed to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a place and time to be determined, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on Thursday.
“President Trump greatly appreciates the nice words of the South Korean delegation and President Moon. He will accept the invitation to meet with Kim Jong Un at a place and time to be determined. We look forward to the denuclearization of North Korea. In the meantime, all sanctions and maximum pressure must remain,” she said in a statement.
Trump’s aides have been wary of North Korea’s diplomatic overtures because of its history of reneging on international commitments.
Chung and National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon flew to Washington earlier on Thursday to explain North Korea’s stance on possible future talks with Washington and the prospect of Pyongyang suspending nuclear tests if the security of the North’s government is assured.
Earlier Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that though “talks about talks” might be possible with Pyongyang, denuclearization negotiations were likely a long way off.