Koreas aim at locking deal to unlock nuclear talks

Seoul : Leaders of South and North Korea plan to announce steps aimed at rekindling stalled nuclear talks and deepening bilateral ties after they meet for a second day of summit talks in the North’s capital Pyongyang. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in kicked off their third meeting yesterday, during which Kim said his “historic” summit with US President Donald Trump in June had improved regional stability and raised hopes for further progress.

A joint statement expected from the two leaders at the conclusion of their talks today will provide clues to whether negotiations between North Korea and the United States over dismantling Pyongyang’s nuclear programs could regain momentum. The outcome will also be a litmus test for another meeting Kim has recently proposed to Trump. Kim pledged to work toward the “complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula” during his first meeting with Moon in the Demilitarised Zone that separates the two Koreas in April, and at his summit with Trump in June.

But discussions over how to implement the vague commitments have since faltered, with Washington demanding concrete action toward denuclearization by North Korea before agreeing to a key goal of Pyongyang - declaring an end to the 1950-53 Korean War. Pyongyang has given no indication it is willing to give up its nuclear arsenal unilaterally and is seeking relief from tough international sanctions.