South Korean president says it's too early to talk about meeting Kim Jong-un
Mr. Moon Jae-in left open the possibility of a South-North Korea summit, but he said it would not happen soon.
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South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Photo:Reuters. |
South Korean President Moon Jae-in last week received an invitation to Pyongyang for a summit from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. "There are high hopes for a North-South summit, but I think it's a bit premature," Moon told reporters in Pyeongchang today, according toAFP.
Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong and North Korea's ceremonial head of state Kim Yong-nam visited South Korea last week for the Winter Olympics. Mr. Moon and Ms. Kim watched the inter-Korean hockey game and held talks at the South Korean presidential palace in Seoul.
The South Korean president said the ice-breaking moves at the Olympics showed the need for dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang. "We are expecting the current inter-Korean talks to lead to dialogue between the US and North Korea for denuclearisation," he said.
South and North Korea have held two summits in 2000 (between South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il) and 2007 (between South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Jong-il). Relations between the two countries subsequently deteriorated due to Pyongyang's weapons program.