Two Korean leaders meet in a surprise summit in border truce village

The two Korean leaders today met in a surprise summit in the demilitarised border zone.

File photo

Seoul: South Korea President Moon Jae-in met with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un in a surprise summit at the Demilitarised Zone dividing the two nations, a day after US President Donald Trump said his summit with Pyongyang could still go ahead.

The Blue House, South Korea's Presidential Office, said the two leaders held talks for two hours in the truce village of Panmunjom, where they had met last month and made a declaration vowing to improve ties.

"They exchanged views and discussed ways to implement the Panmunjom Declaration and to ensure a successful US-North Korea summit," the Blue House said in a statement, adding further details would be released tomorrow morning. 

The meeting came a day after US President Donald Trump that a nuclear summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could still take place as scheduled on June 12. Trump said his on Friday - a day after he cancelled the meeting blaming Pyongyang's "open hostility".

"We'll see what happens. It could even be the 12th," Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before leaving for the US Naval Academy to deliver a commencement address.

We are having very productive talks with North Korea about reinstating the Summit which, if it does happen, will likely remain in Singapore on the same date, June 12th., and, if necessary, will be extended beyond that date.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 26, 2018

"They very much want to do it. We'd like to do it. We're going to see what happens," he was quoted as saying by the US media.

Earlier, North Korea issued a conciliatory statement in response to Trump's decision to scrap his meeting with Kim. 

"We reiterate to the US that there is a willingness to sit down at any time, in any way, to solve the problem," said a top official at the North Korean Foreign Ministry. 

Trump, in a morning tweet, hailed Pyongyang's statement, saying, "Very good news to receive the warm and productive statement from North Korea." 

"We will soon see where it will lead, hopefully to long and enduring prosperity and peace. Only time (and talent) will tell!"

(With AFP inputs)