US President Donald Trump pledged on Thursday to complete a deal on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula together with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un, signaling that negotiations remain alive after weeks of an apparent deadlock.
"Kim Jong Un of North Korea (DPRK) proclaims 'unwavering faith in President Trump.' Thank you to Chairman Kim. We will get it done together!" Trump wrote on Twitter.
The tweet came hours after Kim renewed his own commitment to the goal of denuclearization in talks with a special envoy from Seoul, ahead of a summit planned in Pyongyang scheduled for September 18-20 with the Republic of Korea's (ROK) President Moon Jae-in.
US President Donald Trump waves while walking on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One in Washington, DC, US, September 6, 2018. /VCG Photo
"The North (DPRK) and the South (ROK) should further their efforts to realize the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," KCNA quoted Kim as saying.
The ROK's national security advisor Chung Eui-yong, who met with Kim, said the DPRK's leader also emphasized that his "trust in Trump remains unchanged," the comment which led to the US president's tweet.
Chung added that Kim expressed his intention to work closely with the United States to achieve denuclearization "in the first official term of President Trump," which ends in January 2021.
The US State Department announced Thursday that Stephen Biegun, newly-appointed US envoy for the DPRK would travel to the ROK, China and Japan next week for talks on the DPRK.
In New Delhi, US Secretary of State Pompeo, the former US intelligence chief who heads the US negotiating effort, struck a sober note, saying there is still much work to do.
DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un (R) greets Seoul's special envoy Chung Eui-yong ahead of their talks in Pyongyang, Sept. 5, 2018. /VCG Photo
The DPRK "is the only country that has commitments under UN Security Council resolutions," he told reporters.
"It is the case that there is still an enormous amount of work to do. We haven't had any nuclear tests, we haven't had any missile tests, which we consider a great thing."
"But the work of convincing Chairman Kim to make the strategic shift which we talked about, for a brighter future for the people of North Korea (DPRK), continues," Pompeo added.