S.Korea to urge US to hold talks with Pyongyang

NHK, March 7, 2018-- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in are to hold a summit in late April.
Seoul acknowledged that the North has affirmed its commitment to a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

The head of South Korea's National Security Office, Chung Eui-yong, said on Tuesday that the summit will take place at the country's facility in Panmunjom on the military demarcation line between the 2 Koreas. It would be the first inter-Korean summit since October 2007.

Chung had just returned from a visit to Pyongyang as the head of a delegation. He met Kim during the 2-day stay.

Chung said the North Korean side told him that it would have no reason to possess nuclear weapons if the safety of its leadership can be guaranteed and the military threats against the country are removed.

North Korea also said it won't conduct nuclear or missile tests as long as communication channels are kept open.

President Moon has maintained that dialogue between North Korea and the United States is a condition for a summit. Chung said he thinks this condition has been met.

Chung said he will visit the US this week to brief its officials on the meeting with Kim and urge Washington to start dialogue with Pyongyang.

But North Korea's argument that it wouldn't need nuclear weapons if the regime's safety can be guaranteed is basically the same as its current stance that it needs such weapons because of US hostility.

The 2 sides remain far apart as the US says it will only hold dialogue if North Korea agrees to give up its nuclear program.

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