Trump-Kim summit in play as Moon visits US

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Republic of Korea's President Moon Jae-in is meeting US President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday, talks that could decide whether the US president's summit with the North's leader Kim Jong Un goes ahead.

Moon Jae-in jets into Washington on a mission to salvage a rare diplomatic opening between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) that is in trouble almost before it begins.

Trump and Kim agreed to meet in Singapore on June 12, but the first-ever US-DPRK summit is now in serious doubt, with both sides expressing reservations.

US President Donald Trump and ROK President Moon Jae-in shake hands at a news conference at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, Nov. 7, 2017. /VCG Photo

US Vice President Mike Pence said on Monday that "it would be a great mistake for Kim Jong Un to think he could play Donald Trump" and the US president is willing to walk away from the meeting.

The warning came after Pyongyang called into question the meeting last week.

The DPRK denounced US demands for "unilateral nuclear abandonment" and canceled at the last minute a high-level meeting with the South in protest over joint military drills between Seoul and Washington. Trump responded by saying the meeting may or may not take place.

The military demarcation line at the truce village of Panmunjom within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) /VCG Photo

With just weeks to go and little clarity on what will be discussed or what happens if talks fail, some watchers from the South predict fireworks during Trump's talks with Moon.

"It increasingly looks like the Moon administration overstated North Korea's willingness to deal. Moon will probably get an earful over that," said Robert Kelly of Pusan National University.

Yonhap news agency quoted a Blue House official as saying Moon would "likely tell President Trump what to expect and what not to expect from Kim."

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters