Top-level officials from North and South Korea met near the border to prepare for an upcoming summit between the leaders of the two countries, the South confirmed on Thursday. The officials were discussing the details and possible dates for the inter-Korea talks.

North Korea's Ri Son Gwon welcomed Southern officials to the North Korea-controlled Tongilgak building, saying that the past 80 days saw "unprecedented historic events" between Seoul and Pyongyang.

Ri, who heads Pyongyang's agency in charge of inter-Korean ties, also said he hoped for an outcome that matches the "hope and desire of the nation."

South Korea's unification minister, Cho Myoung-gyon, responded that officials should do their best to set up a successful meeting, adding that the "current situation was created by decisions from the highest leaders of the North and South."

North Korea: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's nuclear saga January 2, 2017: Missile test imminent North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said in his New Year’s address that his country was in the "final stages" of launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). US President-elect Donald Trump, whose inauguration was set for January 20, said on Twitter: "North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the US. It won't happen!"

North Korea: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's nuclear saga July 4, 2017: North Korea's 'gift packages' North Korea tested its first ICBM — the Hwasong-14 — on US Independence Day. Kim reportedly told his scientists that "the US would be displeased" by the launch. This, he said, was because "it was given a 'package of gifts' ... on its 'Independence Day.'" Trump wrote on Twitter in response: "North Korea has just launched another missile. Does this guy have anything better to do with his life?"

North Korea: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's nuclear saga July 28, 2017: US mainland threatened Pyongyang tested its second Hwasong-14 weeks later. Experts estimated the new rocket could reach the US mainland. Trump lashed out at North Korean ally China, writing in a Tweet: "I am very disappointed in China. Our foolish past leaders have allowed them to make hundreds of billions of dollars a year in trade, yet they do NOTHING for us with North Korea, just talk."

North Korea: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's nuclear saga August 8, 2017: 'Fire and fury' Trump appeared to threaten swift military action against Pyongyang when he told reporters: "North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen." North Korea responded by threatening to fire a medium-range ballistic missile into the waters around Guam, a US territory in the Pacific Ocean. It did not follow through.

North Korea: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's nuclear saga August 29, 2017: Japan rocket test Pyongyang sparked international outcry when it test-launched a mid-range ballistic missile — the Hwasong-12 — over Japan. The UN Security Council unanimously condemned the test. Trump said in a White House statement: "Threatening and destabilizing actions only increase the North Korean regime’s isolation in the region and among all nations of the world. All options are on the table."

North Korea: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's nuclear saga September 3, 2017: Hydrogen bomb test North Korea announced it had successfully tested its sixth nuclear weapon. Pyongyang said it was a powerful type of nuclear weapon called a hydrogen bomb and that it could be placed on top of a ballistic missile. Trump wrote on Twitter: "The United States is considering, in addition to other options, stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea."

North Korea: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's nuclear saga September 19, 2017: Threat to 'Rocket Man' In his first speech at the United Nations, Trump called North Korea a "rogue state" and said Washington "will have no choice than to totally destroy North Korea" if Pyongyang failed to stop its nuclear weapons program. Referring to Kim, he added: "Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime." Kim called Trump a "mentally-deranged US dotard" two days later.

North Korea: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's nuclear saga November 29, 2017: Third ICBM test North Korea test-fired its third ICBM of 2017. Pyongyang claimed it was a new missile, the Hwasong-15, which was superior to the Hwasong-14 and could hit any target on the US mainland. The US urged allies, including Germany, to break diplomatic ties with North Korea. Berlin ignored the call. Trump also called Kim a "sick puppy."

North Korea: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's nuclear saga January 3, 2018: Who's got the bigger button? Kim said in his 2018 New Year's address that the North had completed its nuclear weapons program and that a "nuclear button" was on his desk at all times. Trump wrote two days later on Twitter: "Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"

North Korea: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's nuclear saga February 10, 2018: Tensions thawing? South Korean President Moon Jae-in welcomed Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong, at the presidential house in the South Korean capital. She handed a letter to Moon inviting him to meet the North Korean leader in Pyongyang. Tensions appeared to be thawing. Seoul and Pyongyang had already agreed to send a unified hockey team to compete at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

North Korea: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's nuclear saga March 6, 2018: Momentum builds South Korean National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong led a delegation on March 5 to Pyongyang to discuss the potential for peace talks. The next day, Chung said both sides had agreed to hold a joint summit in April and set up a telephone hotline between the two capitals. He also said Pyongyang would agree to stop its nuclear weapons and missile tests if the US agreed to hold talks with the North.

North Korea: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's nuclear saga March 9, 2018: Trump agrees Chung flew on to Washington, D.C. to speak with Trump. After the meeting, Chung told reporters the US president had agreed to meet Kim by May. Trump later wrote on Twitter: "no missile testing by North Korea during this period of time. Great progress being made but sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached. Meeting being planned!" Foreign leaders welcomed the historic breakthrough.

North Korea: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's nuclear saga April 19, 2018: 'Denuclearization' A week before the scheduled meeting at the border between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Moon said North Korea wanted "an end to the hostile relations" and had expressed a commitment to "complete denuclearization" of the peninsula. The next day, the telephone hotline was connected for the first time since February 2016, so Moon and Kim could talk directly.

North Korea: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's nuclear saga April 21, 2018: Kim ends missile tests Kim announced North Korea would stop nuclear and missile tests. Kim said: "We no longer need any nuclear test or test launches of intermediate and intercontinental range ballistic missiles, and because of this the northern nuclear test site has finished its mission." However, no mention was made of its stored nuclear materials and equipment.

North Korea: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's nuclear saga April 27, 2018: Historic summit Kim and Moon Jae-in meet in the border town of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that has divided the two Koreas since the Korean War in 1953. The two leaders vowed to work towards a nuclear-free Korea and pledged an end to war. It was the first time a North Korean leader had set foot across the border since the 1950s and paves the diplomatic way for a Trump-Kim meeting in May or June.

North Korea: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's nuclear saga April 30, 2018: Seoul turns off broadcasts South Korea announces its propaganda loudspeakers are to be switched off for good. They had been silenced temporarily ahead of the inter-Korean summit, which prompted the North to halt its broadcasts, too. Pyongyang also said it would adjust its time zone to that of the South as a symbolic gesture. North Korea has been half an hour behind the South since 2015.

North Korea: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's nuclear saga May 24, 2018: Trump calls off Kim summit After North Korea slammed US Vice President Mike Pence for comparing North Korea and Libya, Donald Trump abruptly canceled the summit. Trump said the move was due to "tremendous anger and open hostility" displayed by Pyongyang.

North Korea: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's nuclear saga June 1, 2018: Trump backtracks A day after scrapping the summit, Trump suggested he was still open to meeting Kim. US and North Korean officials met during the following week and on June 1, Trump met one of Kim's closest aides, Kim Yong Chol, in the White House. Shortly thereafter, Trump said the summit would indeed take place on June 12 in Singapore. "I think you're going to have a very positive result in the end," he said.

North Korea: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's nuclear saga June 12, 2018: Smiles in Singapore Trump and Kim met in Singapore as planned. They smiled, shook hands and praised how far they had come in overcoming their previous animosity. The summit ended with both leaders signing a short joint declaration that committed Pyongyang to denuclearize and the US to providing unspecified "security guarantees" to the North. Trump also said he would invite Kim to the White House. Author: Alexander Pearson, Nicole Goebel



Set for April 27, the meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in will only be the third of its kind since the end of the Korean War, the last of which came in 2007. The steps towards rapprochement signal a significant thawing of tensions that began at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in February.

Kim has also reportedly agreed to a sit-down with US President Donald Trump at some point in the near future.

According to Seoul, Kim has signaled his desire to "denuclearize" the peninsula, but some observers worry that Pyongyang is adopting a "divide and conquer" strategy by meeting each party separately.

Earlier this week, Kim made a surprise visit to Beijing — his first trip abroad since assuming power in 2011, seen as an effort to coordinate responses to the upcoming summits. Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi is set to travel to Seoul this week to brief the South Korean government on the meeting between Kim and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping.

es,dj/kms (AP, dpa)