Japan's FM: 'Right before miracle' on Korean Peninsula situation

TOKYO/SEOUL -- Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono hailed a recent diplomatic breakthrough on the Korean Peninsula on Monday, describing the current situation as a "moment right before the miracle", South Korea's presidential office said.

Kono made the remarks during a meeting with South Korea's chief of National Intelligence Service, Suh Hoon, who is in Tokyo to brief Japan's top officials on his visits to Pyongyang and Washington.

In a dramatic turnaround on the Korean Peninsula, US President Donald Trump agreed last week to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un by the end of May after Kim expressed his commitment to denuclearization. 

South Korean NIS chief Suh Hoon, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo (Yonhap)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim are also scheduled to hold a summit in April.

During the meeting, Kono voiced his "respect" for South Korea's diplomatic efforts to bring North Korea back to the brink of negotiations, according to a statement by South Korea's presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom.

"The current situation is a situation where the moment right before the miracle" is happening on the Korean Peninsula, Kono told Suh, according to the statement.

Suh will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday, the statement said. (Yonhap)