Kim Jong-un holds 'productive and wonderful' talks with Mike Pompeo in Pyongyang

The “positively developing situation on the Korean Peninsula” was at the centre of the talks. For Kim, the dialogue between the two countries will continue "based on the deep confidence between the two leaders". South Korean President Moon Jae-in says China’s Xi Jinping will visit North Korea in the near future, whilst Kim is expected in Russia.

Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) – For North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, yesterday’s talks in Pyongyang with the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were "productive and wonderful", the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

North Korea’s news agency added that the two sides will work together to make a second North Korean-US summit "as soon as possible".

Pyongyang had slammed Pompeo's "gangster-like demands” during his last trip to Pyongyang in July. On that occasion, the US secretary of state had not met Kim.

Yesterday's summit prompted the North Korean leader to express his appreciation for the “positively developing situation on the Korean Peninsula”.

The two sides discussed "in detail the proposals for solving the denuclearisation issue and matters of concern of both sides, and exchanged constructive opinions," KCNA said.

Mr Kim said he believed the dialogue between the two countries would continue to develop favourably "based on the deep confidence between the two leaders", and expressed gratitude to Mr Trump for the agreement reached at their historic June summit.

Mr Pompeo said on Sunday that his latest, fourth trip to Pyongyang was "another step forward" to denuclearisation and that he had a "good, productive conversation" with Mr Kim. But he struck a cautious note by saying more needed to be done.

Before returning to Washington, last night Pompeo visited South Korean president Moon Jae-in Mr Pompeo to brief him on the latest round of talks.

President Moon Jae-in said that Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit North Korea in the near future, whilst Kim is expected to visit Russia. "The possibility of a North-Japan summit also remains open,” the South Korean leader noted.

"A new order is being created on the Korean Peninsula," Moon said. "A new order on the Korean Peninsula will lead to a new order in Northeast Asia. I think all these are processes that are necessary and needed for realising complete denuclearisation and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula."

• korea
• north
• south
• united nations
• china
• russia
• mike pompeo
• kim jong-un
• xi jinping
• talks
• denuclearisation