South Korean President Moon Jae-in said he was told by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that he wants the U.S. secretary of state to come to Pyongyang for nuclear talks.
Kim also wants a second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump as soon as possible.
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Moon was briefing reporters Thursday after returning to Seoul after a three-day summit in Pyongyang with the North Korean leader.
Moon said he will carry a private message from Kim for Trump when he meets the U.S. president in New York next week at a U.N. meeting.
The South Korean leader also said he’ll convey to Trump his and Kim’s desire to get a declaration ending the Korean War by the end of this year. The 1950-53 war still technically continues because it ended with a cease-fire, not a peace treaty.
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Such a declaration would be the first step toward a formal peace treaty, but the U.S. is worried that it could result in Kim pushing for the removal of U.S. troops from South Korea.
On Wednesday, Trump tweeted about North Korea’s commitment to denuclearization, saying Kim has agreed to “nuclear inspections” and to “permanently dismantle a test site and launch pad.”