Published : Aug. 14, 2018 - 11:48
South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Tuesday explained to her US counterpart, Mike Pompeo, the results of this week's cross-border talks on arranging an inter-Korean summit, her ministry said.
The allies' top diplomats held a telephone conversation to exchange views on the situation on the peninsula, including the recent developments in inter-Korean relations.
The two Koreas agreed to hold a summit in Pyongyang sometime in September during their high-level talks at the truce village of Panmunjom on Monday, as part of implementation of the April summit agreement between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
(Yonhap)
"Secretary Pompeo expressed his appreciation for Minister Kang's explanation, and the two agreed to closely cooperate over the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of an enduring peace regime," the ministry said in a press release.
Seoul and Pyongyang scheduled the September summit amid growing speculation over a perceived impasse in denuclearization negotiations.
Washington wants the communist regime to take tangible steps towards denuclearization, such as a declaration of its nuclear and missile programs. But Pyongyang is calling for the political declaration of a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War, apparently to help ensure the security of its regime.
Observers said that Seoul has been pushing for an early Pyongyang summit to break the impasse and keep the North on course toward denuclearization. (Yonhap)