A second summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un may be "imminent"

FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow and never miss the top politics stories again. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Meanwhile a UK-based expert in US foreign policy has said Mr Trump also needed such a meeting to take place as he seeks "a foreign policy win" to ease the pressure which is building up as a result of the ongoing government shutdown over his plans to build a wall along the country's border with Mexico. Mr Moon made his remarks during a speech in Seoul in which he urged PyongYang to take “bold, practical” action to break the apparent impasse over the proposed denuclearisation of the isolated communist state. But he also urged the US President to consider issuing a formal declaration which would officially end the 1950-53 Korean War, which he suggested would encourage Kim to scrap its nuclear weapons.



Mr Moon was talking after Kim travelled to Bijing to meet Chinese supremo Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, in Beijing, during which he was reported to have renewed his pledge to denuclearise.



Chinese media suggested Mr Xi had given the green light to a second summit between Kim and President Trump, following their historic meeting in Singapore in June, 2018, prior to which Kim also travelled to Beijing for talks with China’s President.



Like Mr Moon, Mr Xi had emphasised the importance of both sides compromising, suggesting the leaders needed to "meet each other halfway" to break the deadlock.



Mr Moon said Kim’s Beijing visit was a “sign” that a second face-to-face meeting with Mr Trump may be imminent.



Moon Jae-in made his prediction during a speech today in Seoul

The path toward peace on the Korean Peninsula still continues to expand even at this moment, and it will speed up even more this year Moon Jae-in

Kim consulted with Mr Xi before and after the Singapore summit.



Mr Moon explained: “China has continued to play a positive role in the process of inter-Korean dialogue, as well as US-North Korea talks.



“The second North Korea-United States summit – to take place soon – and a reciprocal visit to Seoul by Chairman Kim Jong-un of North Korea will be turning points that will firmly solidify peace on the Korean Peninsula.



“The path toward peace on the Korean Peninsula still continues to expand even at this moment, and it will speed up even more this year.”



China's President Xi Jinping is believed to have given the meeting his blessing

Mr Moon is widely considered to have been instrumental in the thaw in relations between the North and South at the start of last year, which in turned made a meeting between Mr Trump and Kim possible following an alarming build-up of tension in 2017 which saw PyongYang carry out numerous missile tests.



However, nuclear disarmament talks appear to have stalled since the Singapore summit, at which it was agreed both sides would “work toward the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula”.



However, the vague nature of this statement, coupled with the absence of the word “verifiable”, means little concrete progress has been achieved since then, a fact acknowledged by Mr Moon during his speech, in which he admitted there was “scepticism” about whether Kim’s definition of the concept of denuclearisation differed from that of other world leaders.



He added: “Kim has assured many foreign leaders, including myself, Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, that his concept is no different in any way from what the international community demands.”



Kim Jong-un celebrates a successful missile test in 2017

He suggested a second summit needed to produce an agreement which was “more clear on actions by each side”.



In a move which is unlikely to gain much traction in Washington, he also suggested he would push for sanctions on North Korea to be eased prior to the resumption of further talks about denuclearisation.



He said: “My administration will cooperate with the international community, including the United States, to resolve the remaining issues such as international sanctions as soon as possible.”



He also stressed the potential benefits of closer North/South relations, saying: “Peace can drive economic growth.



“The connection of railroads and roads between the two Koreas will help find new breakthroughs for our economy.”

