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| South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump / Yonhap |
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he expects great progress from his upcoming second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, stressing that the United States and South Korea are moving in the right direction in ridding the North of its nuclear weapons.
In a telephone conversation with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the U.S. leader said he will personally explain the outcome of his second meeting with the North Korean leader to Moon.
Trump and Kim are set to meet in Hanoi from Feb. 27-28.
"President Trump explained preparations for the Hanoi summit and negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea, and the two leaders held frank discussions on specific ways to cooperate for the success of the second North Korea-U.S. summit," Moon's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said of the telephone conversation.
"President Trump expressed high expectations for the Hanoi summit and said he will continue to closely discuss with President Moon about the outcome of the summit and follow-up measures," Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said in a press release.
To this end, Trump offered to call President Moon as soon as his Hanoi meeting is over to explain the outcome of the meeting.
"President Trump also said he expected to make great progress at the Hanoi meeting and expressed hope to personally meet with President Moon Jae-in because he has to share the outcome of the meeting," the spokesman said.
Moon praised his U.S. counterpart for his efforts to denuclearize North Korea, noting that Trump's leadership has made possible what all others have failed to accomplish before.
"I express my respect to President Trump, who has overcome the diplomatic failure that achieved no progress through negotiations over the past 25 years and rather enhanced North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities, and who is currently seeking diplomatic strategies for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and establishment of permanent peace," the South Korean president was quoted as telling Trump. (Yonhap)
