Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Saturday US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un  are likely to meet soon.

"President Moon Jae-in and State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un met twice and the North Korea-US summit is also likely to take place soon," the prime minister said in meetings with British veterans of the Korean War and South Korean residents here. He held the events in the British capital en route to Ireland, the second leg of his two-nation visit.

"After the beginning of this year, the circumstances of the Korean Peninsula have dramatically shifted," Lee said, adding that the peninsula has "welcomed in a good chance to permanently bring in a more lasting peace."


 

Drawing on Moon's surprise second summit with Kim on Saturday, the prime minister also said the meeting may have focused on expediting the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration, as well as mediating between him and Trump.

"What is as important as the content of the conversation is that the two leaders successfully arranged the summit in one day," Lee said, adding that this may be the start of regular summit meetings between Moon and Kim.

In a posting uploaded on his Facebook page on the same day, he also said, "The very fact that the South and North Korean leaders could meet for an urgently setup summit is beyond my wildest imagination."

Lee's remarks add to the growing optimism for the successful hosting of the Trump-Kim summit set for June 12 in Singapore. (Yonhap)