South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivers a speech at the Oslo Forum conference at the University of Oslo in Oslo, Norway, June 12, 2019. South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday expressed his hope that he will meet with Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), before U.S. President Donald Trump visits Seoul at the end of June. (Xinhua/Liang Youchang)
South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday expressed his hope that he will meet with Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), before U.S. President Donald Trump visits Seoul at the end of June.
"If possible, I think it's desirable that I meet Chairman Kim Jong Un" before Trump's trip to South Korea, Moon said at a Q&A session after delivering a keynote speech at the Oslo Forum conference at the University of Oslo in the Norwegian capital.
"I have been always ready to meet Chairman Kim Jong Un at any time. However, the exact timing for our meeting is up to Chairman Kim to decide," Moon said.
Trump and his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are scheduled to visit Japan and South Korea in late June to discuss denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, U.S. State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said Monday at a press briefing.
Moon also called for Trump and Kim to meet in the near future to maintain the momentum for dialogue on the Korean peninsula.
The denuclearization negotiations between the United States and the DPRK have been stalled since the second summit between Trump and Kim ended with no agreement in February in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.
Moon is currently on a three-day state visit to Norway from Tuesday to Thursday. He is the first South Korean president to pay a state visit to the Nordic country.
