South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump will be sitting down for a summit meeting next month in April—their seventh meeting total.
Earlier this morning-- reporters had field questions about local reports on whether the next summit between the two are happening or not.
It was reported that multiple sources familiar with the issue said hosting of the South Korea-U.S. summit is in the works and that officials are fine-tuning the details of the meeting.
In a phone call after the North Korea-U.S. summit in Vietnam, Presidents Moon and Trump promised they would meet face-to-face to follow up on the North Korea denuclearization talks.
If the April summit does take place—it would be the leaders' first encounter since their meeting in Argentina on the sidelines of the G20 summit in November.
The United States says that it is positive about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un returning to the negotiating table for talks on denuclearization.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday local time, U.S State department's deputy spokesperson Robert Palladino reaffirmed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's words where he said that Washington is still optimistic, adding that diplomacy will continue to proceed forward.
He also touched upon U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun's latest visit to China, confirming that Washington and Beijing are engaging in regular discussions on North Korea, as they share the same goal of a final, fully verified denuclearization of the regime.
When asked whether Biegun came into contact with any North Korean official during his visit, Palladino stopped short of saying that Washington and Pyeongyang are still negotiating without providing the details.
Regarding concerns on possibilities for Beijing to backslide from sanctions enforcement, he stressed that China's enforcement has been very helpful but added that there is still more room for China to contribute.
Meanwhile, South Korea's foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha has left for Washington to meet her counterpart Mike Pompeo on Friday, for the first time since the Hanoi summit broke down last month.
The two sides are expected to share their perspectives on the issue, as well as inter-Korean cooperation and sanctions enforcement.
South Korea's top nuclear envoy Lee Do-hoon, who also left for Washington, is slated to meet with Biegun after the foreign ministerial talks
Two F-35A stealth fighter jets arrive at Cheongju Air Base this afternoon from the U.S, giving South Korea's Air Force the capability of evading radar detection.
The jets will likely be assigned to combat units starting in April or May.
Following a 2014 contract, South Korea plans to deploy all of the 40 F-35A jets in ordered by 2021.
The South Korean military is scheduled to have ten jets delivered by the end of this year.
The F-35As will play a key role in South Korea's envisioned Kill Chain a pre-emptive strike system.
Early voting has kicked off for the April 3rd by-elections.
Up for grabs: the districts of Changwon-Seongsan and Tongyeong-Goseong.
Voters will be able to visit polling stations for the next two days between 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A poll in mid-March showed the main opposition Liberty Korea Party and the minor progressive Justice Party neck-and-neck in the race for the Changwon Seongsan district.
Source: Arirang News
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