North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday made the first public mention of his proposed meeting with United States President Donald Trump. According to state media, he discussed the talks at a party meeting, AFP reported.
Kim delivered a report “on the development of the recent situation in the Korean peninsula” at the meeting. He also mentioned his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on April 27, the state-run KCNA news agency reported.
The development comes a day after Trump said his meeting with Kim will be held “in May or early June”, Politico reported. “We’ve been in touch with North Korea,” the US president said at a Cabinet meeting. “We’ll be meeting with them sometime in May or early June, and I think there will be great respect paid by both parties.”
Trump made the announcement after North Korean officials told the US that Kim was willing to discuss denuclearising his country. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to make a deal on the de-nuking of North Korea,” he said on Monday.
On March 8, it was reported that the US president had accepted North Korea’s invitation for a meeting with Kim. While there is still no clarity on where the two leaders will meet, Sweden could be a possible venue.
Tensions between the US and North Korea escalated in 2017 after Pyongyang stepped up its nuclear efforts. Trump had warned North Korea a number of times against boosting its nuclear weapons programme, and the two leaders had frequently traded ridicule, insults and threats.
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