Korean Leaders Meet Again To Discuss US Summit

The two Korean leaders embrace as they meet for a second time in a month (Picture: PA).

South Korean President Moon Jae-In and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un have met to discuss the potential US summit. 

The two leaders have met for the second time in a month to discuss carrying out the peace commitments they reached in their first summit.

Last month, the two Korean leaders historically met, agreeing to "complete denuclearisation" of the Korean peninsula. 

South Korean presidential spokesman Yoon Young-chan said Mr Moon will reveal the outcome of his surprise meeting with Mr Kim on Sunday.

The meeting at a border truce village came hours after South Korea expressed relief over revived talks for a summit between US President Donald Trump and Mr Kim, following a whirlwind 24 hours that saw the US leader cancel the meeting, before saying it is potentially back on.

US President Donald Trump said "very productive talks" were ongoing with North Korea after he pulled out of the historic meeting on Thursday, following the deterioration of talks.

White House officials said Mr Trump had left the door open with a letter to Mr Kim that blamed "tremendous anger and open hostility" by Pyongyang but also urged Mr Kim to call him.

The US President has now said that if the latest talks become successful, a summit is likely to take place in Singapore on 12 June. 

He tweeted: "We are having very productive talks with North Korea about reinstating the Summit which, if it does happen, will likely remain in Singapore on the same date, June 12th., and, if necessary, will be extended beyond that date."

After previous talks broke down, North Korea issued a statement on Friday saying it was still "willing to give the US time and opportunities" to reconsider talks "at any time, at any format".

Mr Trump rapidly tweeted that the statement was "very good news" and told reporters that "we're talking to them now".

Although Mr Trump did not confirm the nature of the new communication between the countries, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said at the Pentagon:

"The diplomats are still at work on the summit, possibility of a summit, so that is very good news."

He characterised the recent back-and-forth as the "usual give and take".

A previously planned trip will see White House assistants head to Singapore this weekend to ensure details for a potential meeting remain on schedule, according to two White House officials.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke on Friday with a top official from South Korea, whose leaders had appeared to be taken aback when Mr Trump withdrew from the summit.

Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Pompeo and South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha reaffirmed their "shared commitment to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula" and pledged to coordinate "in all of their efforts to create conditions for dialogue with North Korea".

A senior White House official said the North had broken its promises ahead of the summit, including a pledge to allow international inspectors to monitor its explosive destruction of its nuclear test site.

US defence and intelligence officials have repeatedly assessed the North to be on the threshold of having the capability to strike anywhere in the continental US with a nuclear-tipped missile - a capacity that Mr Trump and other US officials have said they would not tolerate.