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Kim, Pompeo to arrange second US-North Korea summit 'as soon as possible': Seoul

In this photo released by the US Government on April 26, 2018, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (R) shakes hands with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Pyongyang. (Photo by AFP)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agrees to hold a second summit with US President Donald Trump as soon as possible, few months after the two leaders met in Singapore.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held talks with the North Korean leader for nearly two hours on Sunday morning followed by a lunch in the North's capital, before flying to Seoul on a whirlwind diplomatic visit to the region.

According to a statement by South Korea's presidential office, Pompeo said "he agreed with Chairman Kim to hold the second US-North Korea summit at the earliest date possible." However, no specific time or location has yet been agreed.

It added that Pompeo and Kim also exchanged views about "denuclearization steps that will be taken by North Korea and the issue of attendance by the US government," as well as "corresponding measures" to be taken by Washington.

It was Pompeo's fourth visit to North Korea.

Taking to his official Twitter account after the meeting with Kim, the US secretary of state said he had a "good trip" to Pyongyang to meet the North Korean leader.

"We continue to make progress on agreements made at Singapore Summit. Thanks for hosting me and my team," Pompeo tweeted.

Kim also commended their "nice meeting", telling Pompeo via an interpreter following the Saturday's talks that it was "a very nice day that promises a good future ... for both countries."

US President Trump and North Korean leader Kim met in Singapore in June for the first-ever much-anticipated summit between the countries. This is while US officials acknowledge that there have been no public signs of denuclearization in North Korea despite the two leaders' meeting.

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Pyongyang says Washington has betrayed the spirit of the June summit by making unilateral demands for denuclearization first without taking any reciprocal measures, including for past North Korean goodwill steps.

Trump said in July that talks with North Korea are going well, just days after he declared Pyongyang an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to American national security, despite the historic summit in Singapore.

"Many good conversations with North Korea-it is going well!"Trump wrote in a post on Twitter. “If not for me,” he added, “we would now be at War with North Korea!”

Addressing the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 29, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho said continued sanctions against his country were deepening the rift of mistrust with the US and there was no way Pyongyang would abandon its nuclear weapons unilaterally under such circumstances.

“Without any trust in the US there will be no confidence in our national security and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first,” said the North Korea’s top diplomat.

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