South Korean president Moon Jae-in will meet his US counterpart Donald Trump on Thursday for their first meeting since the failed Hanoi summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in a desperate effort to revive stalled nuclear talks.
The two leaders will search for ways to break the impasse between the US and North Korean negotiating positions — the US-North Korea summit fell apart in February over Pyongyang’s demand that sanctions be dropped in return for dismantling just some of its nuclear facilities.
The upcoming meeting comes amid growing uncertainty over the next diplomatic steps as Pyongyang threatens to abandon further talks and resume weapons testing after its demand for sanctions relief was rejected by Mr Trump in Hanoi. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Thursday that his country would deal a “serious blow” against those that imposed sanctions and would push to make itself more self-reliant, according to state media agency KCNA.