Washington: A US delegation was holding talks with North Korean officials Sunday at a border truce village amid preparations for a summit between the two countries’ leaders, the State Department said. “A US delegation is in ongoing talks with North Korean officials at Panmunjom,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. “We continue to prepare for a meeting between the President and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.”
The talks come a day after Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in held a surprise meeting in Panmunjon aimed at salvaging the June 12 summit after US President Donald Trump announced he was pulling out. The State Department provided no details on the latest talks but The Washington Post earlier reported that the US delegation had crossed over to the North Korean side of the border at Panmunjon.
Panmunjon is located in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides the Korean peninsula.
The Post said the US delegation was led by Sung Kim, a former US ambassador to South Korea and former nuclear negotiator with the North.
It said the Americans met with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui.
AFP