TOKYO (Sputnik) – The trilateral summit of leaders of South Korea, North Korea and the United States may be held “around June 12” in Singapore, which is going to host the meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the South Korean presidential office said on Monday.
“The discussions are just getting started, so we are still waiting to see how they come out, but depending on their outcome, the president [Moon] could join President Trump and Chairman Kim in Singapore,” a high ranking official from the South Korean presidential office told the Yonhap news agency.
On Sunday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed his hope to hold the trilateral summit between South Korea, North Korea and the United States. The statement was made a day after Moon’s meeting with Kim.
Meanhwile, North Korean authorities still have doubts whether the country can trust US promises to provide Pyongyang with security guarantees in case of full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Sunday.
However, South Korean President emphasized on Sunday that it was necessary to establish a direct hotlne betwen the countries.
“The hotline allows making and receiving calls immediately. Such a hotline has recently been established between South Korea and North Korea. We believe that it is necessary to establish a hotline between North Korea and the United States,” Moon said at a press conference on Sunday.
On Thursday, North Korea in a goodwill gesture blew up three test mines at the Punggye-Ri nuclear site, and also destroyed security checkpoints and other facilities, according to a Sputnik correspondent on the scene.
North Korea’s state-run news agency KCNA said tunnels of the underground facility were collapsed and all structures were exploded “in order with transparency” as Chinese, Russian, UK, US and South Korean reporters looked on.
On June 12, Kim and Trump are going to hold the summit in Singapore as part of the ongoing easing of tensions on the Korean Peninsula. On Thursday, the White House released Trump’s letter informing Kim that he was canceling their meeting in Singapore but later the US president said that the summit was still going to be held.