Kim Jong-un says summit with Trump helps stabilize region

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang today. Photo: Reuters.

"Thanks to that conference, the political situation in the region has stabilized. I expect better results,"Reutersquoted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as saying to South Korean President Moon Jae-in today in Pyongyang, referring to the US-North Korea summit with President Donald Trump in June.

In response, Mr. Moon said he was deeply aware of the "heavy responsibility" of both sides. "The whole world is watching and I also want to show them the results for peace and prosperity," he said in his opening remarks at the third inter-Korean summit.

The first meeting between the two leaders of the two Koreas took place this afternoon, lasting two hours, held at the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, with the participation of Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, and Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un's sister. The South Korean delegation included national security adviser Chung Eui-yong and intelligence chief Suh Hoon-in.

Ahead of the summit, President Moon pledged to try to persuade Kim Jong-un to hold denuclearization talks with the US, in the context of the lack of significant progress in the general agreement between Washington and Pyongyang. Another important goal of this third meeting is to end the Korean War (1950-1953), which ended only with an armistice agreement.

Moon Jae-in's visit to Pyongyang will last three days. The two leaders will start their second meeting tomorrow morning, then have lunch at the Okryugwan restaurant and visit some major facilities in Pyongyang.