ROK, US to work closely on Kim-Trump summit

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Republic of Korea's (ROK) President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump held discussions on Sunday to ensure that the summit between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the US remains on track after Pyongyang threatened to pull out of the high-level talks.

Moon and Trump spoke over the phone for about 20 minutes, and exchanged their views on the DPRK’s recent reactions, the presidential office said without elaborating.

The Blue House said the two leaders agreed to work closely and unwaveringly towards a successful DPRK-US summit on June 12.

Moon and Trump are set to meet on Tuesday in Washington before the DPRK's leader Kim Jong Un meets with Trump on June 12 in Singapore.

Pyongyang has shown a dramatic change in tone in the past few days days, despite a series of moves showing signs of reconciliation.

DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and ROK President Moon Jae-in bid farewell during the closing ceremony of the inter-Korean summit in the truce village of Panmunjom, April 27, 2018. /VCG Photo

The DPRK’s chief negotiator Ri Son Gwon said on Thursday it would not hold talks with the ROK unless their demands were met, taking issue with the US-ROK "Max Thunder" air combat drills. This came a day after it threatened to pull out of the summit with the United States.

The DPRK’s Red Cross Society also demanded on Saturday that the ROK should send female restaurant workers from the DPRK back to their home “without delay” to show the will to improve the inter-Korean ties, its state media Korea Central News Agency said.

A dozen restaurant workers came to the ROK in 2016, and Pyongyang had urged to send them back claiming they were abducted.

Source(s): Reuters