The leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un expressed willingness to meet US President Donald Trump again, President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Moon Jae-in said in a TV address in Seoul after his third summit with Kim.
Kim, who recently proposed the second meeting with Trump after their unprecedented June summit in Singapore, added that declaring a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War would prompt rapid further steps by Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear and missile programs, Moon said.
"Chairman Kim expressed his wish that he wanted to complete denuclearization quickly and focus on economic development," the president added.
Moon also quoted Kim as saying that he hoped US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would visit his country soon.
ROK President Moon Jae-in (L) and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un attend a luncheon at Okryu Restaurant in Pyongyang, September 19, 2018. /VCG Photo
Pompeo's announced visit to Pyongyang in August was canceled after Trump said insufficient progress had been made on the denuclearization issue.
Kim pledged to work toward the "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" during two meetings with Moon this year and at his summit with Trump, but talks on how to implement the vague commitments have since faltered.
Washington has demanded concrete action, such as a full disclosure of the DPRK's nuclear and missile facilities, before agreeing to Pyongyang's key goals, including an easing of international sanctions and an official end to the Korean War.
An end-of-war declaration would not affect the presence of US troops and the United Nations Command in ROK, Moon said, adding that Kim shared his view.
"It would be a political declaration that would mark a starting point for peace negotiations."
A peace treaty would be sealed, as well as normalization of DPRK-US relations after the DPRK achieves complete denuclearization, Moon added.
(With input from Reuters)