News / Koreas

Japan set to host trilateral summit on North Korea

Tuesday, 01 May 2018 2:45 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 01 May 2018 5:57 PM ]

April 27, 2018 - North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, left, laughs while sitting beside South Korea's President Moon Jae-in before an inter-Korean summit at the Peace House building on the southern side of the truce village of Panmunjom. The photo was released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on April 29, 2018. (Distributed by AFP)

Japan, along with South Korea and China, is set to hold a trilateral summit in Tokyo next week, the latest move in a diplomatic whirlwind centered around North Korea, the South Korean government says.

Seoul announced on Tuesday that the gathering on May 9 would bring together South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang.

The South Korean presidential office said in a statement that Moon would "share the result of the inter-Korea summit and discuss ways to strengthen trilateral cooperation to denuclearize and establish peace on the Korean peninsula" during a day-long visit to Tokyo.

In the Japanese capital, Moon will also have a separate summit with Abe to discuss ways to develop "future-oriented ties" with Japan, the statement added.

All three of the neighbors are deeply involved with North Korea.

In a separate development on Tuesday, the South Korean president called for UN inspectors to help verify the shutdown of North Korea's nuclear testing site at Punggye-ri.

The heads of state of the two Koreas held a historic summit at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone on April 27.

PressTV-Leaders of Koreas meet at historic summit

The North Korean leader and South Korean president hold their historic summit in the Demilitarized Zone.

The thaw between South Korea and North Korea, triggered by the Winter Olympics in South Korea, has repercussions for the geopolitics of the region.

The two neighbors began mending fences in January, when North Korean leader Kim Jung-un said he would be interested in talks between officials from the two countries. A series of overtures ensued, culminating in the late April summit.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula were running high in 2017. US President Donald Trump’s threats last year prompted North Korea to carry out its most powerful nuclear test to date and launch intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United States, but Kim abruptly expressed interest in the resolution of disagreements with the South on New Year’s Day. A possible meeting between Kim and Trump is also reportedly being planned for sometime in May or June.

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