Trump raises hopes for revival of North Korea summit

A day after abruptly scrapping a high-stakes summit with Kim Jong Un, citing the North's "tremendous anger and open hostility," the US president suggested that a meeting, which would likely discuss the future of Kim's nuclear weapons program, may be on the cards after all. 

In a tweet sent late Friday, Trump said that "very productive talks" with North Korea were underway. He had said earlier the same day that the potentially historic summit might be getting back on track. While Trump did not go into specifics, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said, "The diplomats are still at work on the summit, possibility of a summit, so that is very good news."

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"We see it as fortunate that the embers of dialogue between North Korea and the United States weren't fully extinguished and are coming alive again," South Korea's presidential spokesman said in response. "We are continuing to watch developments carefully." Earlier on Friday, North Korea issued a statement saying it was still "willing to give the US time and opportunities" to reconsider talks "at any time, at any format." 

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had spoken earlier on Friday with a top official from South Korea, whose leaders had appeared to be taken aback when Trump withdrew from the summit. Pompeo and South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha reaffirmed their "shared commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula" and pledged to coordinate "in all of their efforts to create conditions for dialogue with North Korea."

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There is some skepticism over Kim's intentions, however. Comments in Pyonyang media suggest the North Korean leader sees the summit as a negotiation between nuclear powers, rather than a denuclearization process.

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kw/bw (AP, Reuters)