North Korea tells US it is prepared to discuss denuclearisation
The US has previously relied on South Korea to relay North Korean intentions - but secret talks have now taken place.
Sunday 8 April 2018 22:54, UK
North Korea has told the United States for the first time that it is prepared to discuss denuclearisation.
Washington had previously heard from South Korea that the North was willing to negotiate on the issue - but no direct discussion had taken place.
Secret talks between the US and North Korea have now reportedly seen Pyongyang reveal directly its willingness to discuss the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un are due to meet in May, after the US President tweeted he would meet with the North Korean leader several weeks ago.
"Great progress being made but sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached," Mr Trump tweeted. "Meeting being planned!"
The extraordinary turn of events came after South Korea's national security adviser revealed Mr Kim was willing to meet with Mr Trump, and that he would "refrain from any further nuclear or missile test" and was "committed to denuclearisation".
If it goes ahead the meeting will follow a summit between the leaders of North and South Korea on 27 April - only the third ever to be held between the two countries.
A date for the historic event was set last month, shortly after Mr Kim told China he was committed to denuclearisation during a trip to Beijing - his first foreign trip as North Korean leader.
The shift in tone around North Korean diplomacy has come as a surprise to many - particularly since Mr Trump promised to bring "fire and fury" to the state if it continued with nuclear threats.
No serving US President has ever met with a North Korean leader, the two countries do not have formal diplomatic relations and they are still technically at war following the 1950-53 Korean conflict.
Former US ambassador to South Korea Christopher Hill said North Korea's invitation was "quite extraordinary", saying that North Korean officials had previously extended invitations, but the US had not agreed.
More questions than answers still remain over the planned meeting, however, including over understood definitions of "denuclearisation" and what expectations on the US and South Korea might involve.