U.S. back on speaking terms with North Korea

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday said he would deliver a private message to U.S. President Donald Trump from North Korea regarding the denuclearization standoff. Moon said he would bring the message during the United Nations General Assembly session in New York next week. Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un just wrapped up a three-day summit, which began Tuesday in Pyongyang, to discuss denuclearization and reunification efforts. Moon called for a follow-up summit between North Korea and the United States, adding the Koreas want a declaration officially ending the Korean War before the year runs out.

During the Korean summit, Kim said North Korea would dismantle its Dongchang-ri missile engine testing facility and missile launch pad and allow international observers. But it remains unclear what reciprocal measures North Korea expects from the United States. Following the summit, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo invited North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho to meet during the next United Nations session. Pompeo noted in a statement that the meeting “will mark the beginning of negotiations to transform … relations through the process of rapid denuclearization of North Korea, to be completed by January 2021.”