Reuters

The summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in next week could result in a historic announcement of an end to the 68-year Korean War, according to a report.

The South Korean newspaper Munhwa Ilbo cited an unnamed intelligence source as saying the summit scheduled for April 27 — the first time the leaders will meet face-to-face — could result in a peace announcement.

North Korea and South Korea have technically been at war since 1950 because that conflict ended in a cease-fire rather than a peace treaty.

The Munhwa Ilbo report follows weeks of planning by North Korea and South Korea that kicked off with a display of thawed tensions at the Winter Olympics.

Since then, Kim is said to have expressed an unprecedented willingness to talk with South Korea and discuss denuclearization with the US. He has also traveled outside North Korea for the first time since assuming power in 2011, meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

North Korea has also recently seen diplomatic delegations and K-pop bands visit — Kim even sat in on a performance in Pyongyang that he apparently loved.

North Korea also sent Kim's sister to the Olympics and upgraded the status of his wife, Ri Sol Ju, from "comrade" to "revered first lady" in a what could be a bid to create a cult of personality around her.

The US has projected a wait-and-see attitude about the talks and vowed to not let up on economic or military pressure on North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, though in the past year it has scaled back or delayed some scheduled joint military exercises with South Korea.

South Korean diplomats have repeatedly said North Korea maintains a willingness to denuclearize, but experts remain skeptical that North Korea would actually do so, saying it has entered into negotiations in the past that fell apart when it came time to inspect nuclear sites.

However, relations with North Korea have shifted in the past year since US President Donald Trump threatened " fire and fury" in response to nuclear provocations and Pyongyang spoke of firing missiles near US forces in Guam and detonating nukes in the sky.</s>U.S. Secretary of State nominee and CIA Director Mike Pompeo made a secret visit to North Korea over the Easter weekend and met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to discuss a planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. Pompeo’s trip made him the most senior U.S. official ever known to have met with Kim and provided the strongest sign yet to Trump’s willingness to become the first serving U.S. president ever to meet a North Korean leader.

Pompeo’s conversations fueled Trump’s belief that productive negotiations were possible with North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, but far from guaranteed, according to a U.S. senior official briefed on the trip.

The visit, a second U.S. official said, was arranged by South Korean intelligence chief Suh Hoon with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Yong Chol, and was intended to assess whether Kim was prepared to hold serious talks.

Pompeo, one of Trump’s most trusted advisers, returned to report that it was worth continuing to pursue the possibility of a summit, but added that no site had been selected from lists of options, and consequently no logistical arrangements had been made so far, the second official said. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

Trump said earlier on Tuesday the United States was engaged in direct talks at “extremely high levels” with North Korea to try to set up a summit between him and Kim.

He sowed some confusion by suggesting he had been speaking to Kim directly, but later clarified by saying: “Let’s leave it a little bit short of the highest level.”

Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders added: “The president said the administration has had talks at the highest levels and added that they were not with him directly.”

Asked about Pompeo, she said: “The administration does not comment on the CIA director’s travel.” Pompeo told his Senate confirmation hearing for the post of secretary of state this week he was optimistic a course could be set at a Trump-Kim summit for a diplomatic outcome with North Korea, but added that no one was under any illusion that a comprehensive deal could be reached at that meeting.

Pompeo said the aim of the summit would be “an agreement … such that the North Korean leadership will step away from its efforts to hold America at risk with nuclear weapons” and that Pyongyang should not expect rewards until it takes irreversible steps.

Pompeo’s trip made him the most senior U.S. official to visit North Korea since then-intelligence chief James Clapper in 2014.

The news came after Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe opened two days of talks at the president’s Mar-a-Lago retreat in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump said he believed there was a lot of goodwill in the diplomatic push with North Korea, but added it was possible the summit – first proposed in March and which the president said could take place in late May or early June – may not happen.

Efforts to arrange the unprecedented meeting have helped ease tensions over Pyongyang’s development of nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States. Kim has agreed to discuss denuclearization, according to U.S. and South Korean officials.

“I really believe there’s a lot of goodwill; a lot of good things are happening,” Trump told reporters.

“As I always say, we’ll see what happens, because ultimately it’s the end result that matters, not the fact that we’re thinking about having a meeting or having a meeting.”

Trump, who has exchanged bellicose threats with Kim in the past year, said U.S. officials were looking at five locations for a meeting. Asked if any of those were in the United States, Trump replied: “No.”

A U.S. official said sites in Southeast Asia and Europe were among those under discussion. Kim has rarely left North Korea.

Speculation has centered on a range of sites including Pyongyang, the demilitarized zone between the Koreas, Stockholm, Geneva and Mongolia.

Talks between Trump and Abe are largely focused on the prospective summit as Japan seeks a U.S. commitment that any denuclearization deal with Kim will include not just long-range missiles but those that could be aimed at Japan.

Reflecting the closeness of their ties, the Trump-Abe meetings included a walk around the carefully manicured grounds of the beachfront club and dinner on the patio with their wives. A round of golf was planned for Wednesday.

“For the North Korean issue, I’d like to underscore the importance of achieving the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization, as well as the abandonment of missile programs of North Korea,” Abe told Trump.

Abe also obtained an agreement from Trump to bring up the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea, a highly emotive issue for the Japanese.

Trump stressed that he and Abe were united.

“Japan and ourselves are locked, and we are very unified on the subject of North Korea,” he said.

Trump said it was possible diplomatic efforts to arrange a Kim summit would fall short and if it did not happen, the United States and its allies would maintain pressure on Pyongyang through sanctions.

“It’s possible things won’t go well and we won’t have the meetings and we’ll just continue to go on this very strong path we have taken,” he said.

Trump also backed efforts between South Korea and the North aimed at ending a state of war that has existed between the two countries since 1953.

“People don’t realize the Korean War has not ended. It’s going on right now. And they are discussing an end to the war. Subject to a deal, they have my blessing and they do have my blessing to discuss that,” he said.

Trump and Abe could use a successful summit to give themselves a political boost at home. Trump has been hounded by controversies linked to an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, and Abe is struggling with declining popularity because of scandals over suspected cronyism.

Trump has forged close ties with Abe during his 15 months in power and the two have bonded over rounds of golf during Abe’s last visit to Florida more than a year ago and Trump’s visit to Tokyo last November.

Japan fears Trump will try to link vital security matters with touchy trade topics. Tokyo is eager to avoid being pushed into talks on a two-way free trade agreement aimed not only at market access but at currency policies, something South Korea recently accepted when it renegotiated a trade deal with the United States.

Another irritant on trade is that Japan has not been given an exemption to tariffs on steel and aluminum exports to the United States, unlike the European Union, Canada and Mexico.</s>SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (NYTIMES) - Kim Jong Un, North Korea's leader, plans to formally announce his willingness to denuclearise his country when he meets with President Moon Jae In of South Korea this month, an official from the South said on Tuesday (April 17).

The statement is expected to be part of a joint declaration that the two leaders will adopt when they meet on April 27, said Moon's chief of staff, Im Jong Seok. Negotiators from both Koreas have agreed on a rough framework for the joint declaration, he said.

They are still discussing other aspects of the joint statement, such as whether the two Koreas would commit to holding further summit meetings on a regular basis, Im said. South Korea is also trying to persuade North Korea that Moon and Kim should hold a joint news conference at the end of their meeting in Panmunjom, the so-called truce village on the inter-Korean border.

If necessary, Moon's national security adviser, Chung Eui Yong, and his spy chief, Suh Hoon, will visit the North Korean capital of Pyongyang again to resolve any significant issues before the summit meeting, Im said.

When Chung and Suh visited Kim last month as Moon's special envoys, Kim told them he would be willing to discuss giving up his nuclear weapons if his government no longer felt threatened militarily and its security was guaranteed.

"Although the special envoys have already confirmed a willingness to denuclearise, it will make a difference if the two heads of state will meet and more clearly confirm it and make it a formal statement," Im told reporters on Tuesday.

More talks are needed to determine how specific the declaration would be about denuclearisation, said Im, who is in charge of the South Korean officials preparing for the summit meeting. But he said the joint statement would be broad and fairly "abstract," because any substantial deal on the North's nuclear weapons must be struck between Kim and President Donald Trump.

Trump has said he plans to meet with Kim in May or early June to try to persuade him to dismantle his nuclear weapons program. Moon, whose envoys brought Trump the message that Kim wanted to talk, has tried to be a mediator between the American and North Korean leaders, viewing his own meeting with Kim as laying the groundwork for the more important one to follow.

North Korean and US officials have also been engaged in talks in preparation for their leaders' meeting, during which US officials have said the North reaffirmed a willingness to discuss denuclearisation. But it is still unclear what Kim would seek in return for abandoning nuclear arms, and whether those demands would be acceptable to Washington.

When Kim met with President Xi Jinping of China late last month, he called for "phased" and "synchronised" implementation of any denuclearisation deal. Under such an approach, which North Korea has sought in past talks about its nuclear programs, the North would dismantle its program in stages, with each one met by an incentive, like an easing of international sanctions.

Some American hard-liners reject such an approach, saying that the North has no real intention of giving up nuclear weapons and is only seeking relief from sanctions.

The US National Security Advisor John Bolton made that argument last month before his appointment by Trump.

According to South Korean officials and analysts, Moon hopes for a "comprehensive deal," in which Kim commits to dismantling his nuclear arsenal and Trump reciprocates with security guarantees for the North, including normalised ties and a peace treaty with Washington.

"When our special envoys visited Pyongyang, the mood was not bad, and we understand that the North Koreans and the Americans are both engaged in sincere discussions, so we are optimistic about the inter-Korean summit," Im said. "But we could face obstacles any time."</s>Since the Korean War ended with a truce instead of a peace treaty in 1953, North and South Korea have technically been at war.

Now, according to a unidentified South Korean official, the two countries are discussing plans to announce an official end to the conflict, South Korean newspaper Munhwa Ilbo reported Tuesday.

A South Korean official said the South hopes the North will “confirm a commitment to give up its nuclear program” during a summit between the two countries scheduled for April 27.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are set to meet in the border village of Panmunjom — the first summit to take place since 2007, Reuters reported.

It will also mark the first time a North Korean leader has set foot in the South since the Korean War.

South Korean presidential chief of staff Im Jon told reporters that lawmakers from the two Koreas are negotiating what will be said in a joint statement to be released at the summit’s end.

The statement would most likely focus on denuclarization and peace on the Korean peninsula, as well as an improvement in relations with other nations like the United States, Reuters reported.

“This summit is significant because it will set the stage for the North Korea-U.S. summit, and even a possible three-way summit between the countries,” Im said.

“Without U.S. support and agreement, it will be difficult to follow through on inter-Korean agreements.”

In March, South Korea’s national security adviser said Kim was committed to denuclearization and expressed willingness to meet with President Donald Trump.

If Trump and Kim meet in May or June as expected, it would mark the first meeting between two sitting leaders of the two countries.

“Even though our special envoys confirmed his denuclearisation will, it is entirely different if the two leaders confirm it directly among themselves and put that into text,” Im said.

RELATED: KJU to Trump: We’re Ready To Discuss Abandoning Our Nukes

“We expect the summit will confirm the denuclearisation will (of North Korea), and hope to have a comprehensive agreement with the North on the matter.”

Seoul-based university professor John Delury told Bloomberg that negotiating a peace treaty could be as complicated as denuclearization.

“Ending the state of conflict is the core of the whole thing. Peace is as complicated as denuclearization,” Delury said. “There also has to be a process of actually delivering the peace.”

What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.</s>Trump last month that accepted an invitation from Kim, delivered through a visiting South Korea delegation, to meet.

No U.S. leader has ever visited North Korea while serving in the Oval Office. Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton traveled to the country on peacekeeping missions, but both Democrats had been out of the White House for years before making their trip.

Much of Trump's meetings this week with Abe have centered around regional security and his plans to meet with Kim.

Sitting alongside Abe at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump said Tuesday that U.S. officials had been holding direct talks with the North Korean government at "extremely high levels" ahead of his planned meeting with Kim. He did not elaborate on who was taking part in the meetings or whether the meetings included Kim himself.

Trump's confirmation that the two governments were speaking directly revealed some of the most sustained communication between the two nations in over half a century.

"We have had direct talks at very high levels, extremely high levels with North Korea," Trump told reporters. "And I really believe there is a lot of good will, lot of good things are happening."

Trump said Tuesday that the meetings could take place in late May or early June and that they are considering five possible locations. However, finding a location has been one of the biggest logistical challenges. It was previously thought that Kim would never agree to leave North Korea given his lack of diplomatic experience and comfort level at home. Other possible locations present significant security concerns.

Late last month, Kim, 34, stunned regional officials and experts alike when he journeyed by train for what amounted to a secret trip to neighboring China. His meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping served as his international debut, marking his first trip outside North Korea since taking power in 2011, and his first meeting with another head of state.

Pompeo,a hawkish Tea Party conservative from Kansas, said during his confirmation hearing last week that "no one is under any illusions" that the planned summit between Trump and Kim will achieve a comprehensive agreement on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Trump, a foreign policy novice, took an unconventional path to reaching the point of direct talks with North Korea. Diplomatic efforts had waned late last year amid the president's war of words with the North Korean leader. He warned that Kim would be met with “fire and fury” and dubbed him “little rocket man.”

However, earlier this year, South Korea made some breakthroughs with its warring neighbor after a series of meetings and discussions that resulted in North Korea sending athletes to compete in the Winter Olympics in South Korea. Athletes from the two countries entered the Olympic arena in Pyeongchang under a unified flag, signaling the potential for warmer ties.

South Korea's national security adviser Chung Eui-yong – who communicated Kim's interest in meeting Trump during a visit to Washington last month – said Wednesday that it will consider negotiating an end to the decades-old Korean War if North Korea commits to denuclearization.

No peace treaty has been signed to replace the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War. The increasing isolation of North Korea over the decades, plus its pursuit of uranium enrichment, has been a great source of concern for countries in the region, including Japan.

Trump said Tuesday that the two Koreas "have my blessing" to end the ongoing war.</s>REPORT: North Korea, South Korea Set To Announce Official End To 64-Year-Long War

Hostilities on the Korean peninsula ended on July 27, 1953, but the war didn’t.

On that day, the U.S., North Korea and China signed an armistice agreement designed to “insure a complete cessation of hostilities and of all acts of armed force in Korea until a final peaceful settlement is achieved,” according to the agreement.

Now, though, North and South Korea are reportedly in talks to permanently end the war, daily newspaper Munhwa Ilbo reported Tuesday, according to CNBC.

Ahead of a summit next week between North Korean premier Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, lawmakers from the neighboring states were thought to be negotiating the details of a joint statement that could outline an end to the confrontation.

Kim and Moon could also discuss returning the heavily-fortified demilitarized zone separating them to its original state, the newspaper said.

Pyongyang and Seoul have technically been at war since the 1950-1953 Korean conflict ended with a truce — and not a peace treaty. Geopolitical tensions have occasionally flared up since the armistice, although to date both countries have managed to avoid another devastating conflict. – READ MORE</s>U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Mike Pompeo, the current CIA director and his nominee to be the top U.S. diplomat, formed a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un when they met in secret.

Pompeo became the most senior U.S. official known to have met Kim when he visited Pyongyang to discuss a planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Mike Pompeo met with Kim Jong Un in North Korea last week. Meeting went very smoothly and a good relationship was formed. Details of Summit are being worked out now. Denuclearization will be a great thing for World, but also for North Korea!” Trump said on Twitter.

Pompeo’s visit and the Tweet provide the strongest sign yet about Trump’s willingness to become the first serving U.S. president ever to meet a North Korean leader, amid a protracted standoff over the North’s nuclear and missile programs it pursues in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

At the same time, old rivals North Korea and South Korea are preparing for their own summit, between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, on April 27, with a bid to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War a major factor in talks.

“As one of the plans, we are looking at a possibility of shifting the Korean peninsula’s armistice to a peace regime,” a top South Korean presidential official told reporters in Seoul earlier on Wednesday when asked about the North-South summit.

“But that’s not a matter than can be resolved between the two Koreas alone. It requires close consultations with other concerned nations, as well as North Korea,” the official said.

South Korea and a U.S.-led U.N. force are technically still at war with North Korea after the Korean War ended with a truce, not a peace treaty. The U.S.-led United Nations Command, Chinese forces and North Korea signed the 1953 armistice, to which South Korea is not a party.

“I do not know if any joint statement to be reached at the inter-Korean summit would include wording about ending the war, but we certainly hope to be able to include an agreement to end hostile acts between the South and North,” the official said.

Trump said on Tuesday he backed efforts between North and South Korea aimed at ending the state of war.

Such discussions between the two Koreas, and between North Korea and the United States, would have been unthinkable at the end of last year, after months of escalating tension, and fear of war, over the North’s weapons programs.

But then Kim declared in a New Year’s speech his country was “a peace-loving and responsible nuclear power” and called for lower military tension and improved ties with the South.

He also said he was considering sending a delegation to the Winter Olympics in South Korea in February, a visit that began a succession of steps to improve ties.

Pompeo’s visit to the North was arranged by South Korean intelligence chief Suh Hoon with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Yong Chol, and was intended to assess whether Kim was prepared to hold serious talks, a U.S. official said.

Pompeo flew from a U.S. air force base in Osan, south of Seoul, an official with the South’s defense ministry said. The South’s presidential office declined to comment on the trip.

Amid the diplomatic flurry, CNN reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping also planned to visit Pyongyang soon, after North Korean leader Kim made a surprise trip last month to China, its major sole ally.

Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she had no information about any Xi visit to North Korea.

“What I can stress is that China and North Korea have a tradition of high level mutual visits,” she told reporters.

“China is willing to strengthen high-level exchanges with North Korea, deepen strategic communications, expand talks and cooperation, and to bring out the important leading role of high-level contact in China-North Korea relations.”

Trump said on Tuesday he believed there was a lot of goodwill in the diplomatic push with North Korea, but added it was possible the summit – first proposed in March and which the president said could take place in late May or early June – may not happen, in which case the United States and its allies would maintain pressure on North Korea through sanctions.

Nevertheless, Pompeo’s conversations in North Korea had fueled Trump’s belief that productive negotiations were possible, according to a U.S. senior official briefed on the trip.

The two Koreas have meanwhile been pressing ahead with preparations for the inter-Korean summit next week.

South Korea’s presidential office said they had agreed to broadcast live, for the first time, parts of the summit, including the hand shake between the two leaders.</s>SEOUL - South Korean security officials may visit North Korea to finalize details ahead for the first summit since 2007, where the South hopes the North will confirm a commitment to give up its nuclear programme, a South Korean official said on Tuesday.

After meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang in March, South Korea’s national security adviser and spy chief said Kim was committed to denuclearising the Korean peninsula and had expressed a willingness to meet United States (US) President Donald Trump.

The two sides are due to hold “working-level” talks on Wednesday and then South Korea’s intelligence chief, Suh Hoon, or its national security adviser, Chung Eui-yong, could visit the North to finish off preparations, if deemed necessary, South Korean presidential chief of staff, Im Jong-seok, told reporters.

The 27 April summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim is scheduled to take place in the border village of Panmunjom.

That is expected to be followed by a meeting between Kim and Trump in late May or early June, which would mark the first meeting between sitting leaders of the two countries.

“Even though our special envoys confirmed his denuclearisation will, it is entirely different if the two leaders confirm it directly among themselves and put that into text,” Im said.

“We expect the summit will confirm the denuclearisation will (of North Korea), and hope to have a comprehensive agreement with the North on the matter,” he said.

Reclusive North Korea has been pursuing nuclear and missile programs in defiance of United Nations (UN) Security Council sanctions. It conducted its most powerful nuclear test last year and has sought to develop a missile capable of hitting the US mainland.

But Kim has changed course since the beginning of the year, sending a delegation to the Winter Olympics held in South Korea in February and agreeing to discuss with South Korea and the United States a nuclear programs the North has defended as a necessary deterrent against US invasion.

The two Koreas are discussing the wording of a joint statement that could be released at the summit, Im said.

Moon has been reviewing a framework of the statement which could be called the 27 April declaration or the Panmunjom declaration, he said.

The statement would likely focus on issues of denuclearisation and peace on the Korean peninsula, and an improvement in relations not only between the two Koreas but also with other countries including the United States.

“This summit is significant because it will set the stage for the North Korea-US summit, and even a possible three-way summit between the countries,” Im said.

“Without US support and agreement, it will be difficult to follow through on inter-Korean agreements.”

Any joint statement is unlikely to include economic cooperation with the North, Im said.

UN Security Council sanctions imposed since North Korea’s first nuclear test in 2006 and strengthened over the past decade aim to cut North Korea off from international trade.

The two Koreas agreed last month to install a hotline for their leaders to help defuse military tension and facilitate consultation.

The telephone line could be operational by around Friday, but it is not clear when Moon and Kim would use it the first time, Im said.

The two leaders will meet at Peace House, a South Korean building inside Panmunjom, making Kim the first North Korean leader to set foot in the South since the 1950-53 Korean War.

Discussions are underway about live coverage of part of the meeting, Im said.

North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because the Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The United States stations 28,500 troops in South Korea as a legacy of the conflict.</s>SEOUL, April 18 (Reuters) - South Korea said on Wednesday it is considering how to change a decades-old armistice with North Korea into a peace agreement, as U.S. officials confirmed an unprecedented top-level meeting with the North Korean leader.

U.S. Secretary of State nominee and CIA Director Mike Pompeo became the most senior U.S. official ever known to have met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un when Pompeo visited Pyongyang over a weekend at the end of March to discuss a planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Pompeo's visit provided the strongest sign yet about Trump's willingness to become the first serving U.S. president ever to meet a North Korean leader.

At the same time, old rivals North Korea and South Korea are preparing for their own summit between Kim and South Korean President Moon Kae-in on April 27, with a bid to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War a major factor in talks.

"As one of the plans, we are looking at a possibility of shifting the Korean peninsula's armistice to a peace regime," a high-ranking South Korean presidential official told reporters when asked about the North-South summit.

"We want to include discussions to end hostile acts between the South and North"

South Korea and a U.S.-led U.N. force are technically still at war with North Korea after the Korean War ended with a truce, not a peace treaty.

Such discussions between the two Koreas, and between North Korea and the United States, would have been unthinkable at the end of last year, after months of escalating tension, and fear of war, over the North's nuclear and missile programmes.

But then North Korea's leader declared in a New Year´s speech his country was "a peace-loving and responsible nuclear power" and called for lower military tension and improved ties with the South.

He also said he was considering sending a delegation to the Winter Olympics in South Korea in February.

A visit by a high-level North Korean delegation to the Olympics began a succession of steps to improve ties.

Trump said on Tuesday he backed efforts between North and South Korea aimed at ending the state of war that has existed between their countries for so long.

"People don´t realize the Korean War has not ended," Trump told reporters.

"It´s going on right now. And they are discussing an end to the war. Subject to a deal, they have my blessing and they do have my blessing to discuss that."

Trump said he believed there was a lot of goodwill in the diplomatic push with North Korea, but added it was possible the summit - first proposed in March and which the president said could take place in late May or early June - may not happen.

If the summit did not happen, the United States and its allies would maintain pressure on Pyongyang through sanctions, he said.

Nevertheless, Pompeo's conversations in North Korea had fuelled Trump´s belief that productive negotiations were possible with North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, but far from guaranteed, according to a U.S. senior official briefed on the trip.

The visit, a second U.S. official said, was arranged by South Korean intelligence chief Suh Hoon with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Yong Chol, and was intended to assess whether Kim was prepared to hold serious talks.

South Korean officials declined to comment on Pompeo's visit. (Additional reporting by Joyce Lee in SEOUL, John Walcott and Steve Holland in WASHINGTON Editing by Robert Birsel)</s>SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean security officials may visit North Korea to finalise details ahead for the first summit since 2007, where the South hopes the North will confirm a commitment to give up its nuclear programme, a South Korean official said on Tuesday.

After meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang in March, South Korea’s national security adviser and spy chief said Kim was committed to denuclearising the Korean peninsula and had expressed a willingness to meet U.S. President Donald Trump.

The two sides are due to hold “working-level” talks on Wednesday and then South Korea’s intelligence chief, Suh Hoon, or its national security adviser, Chung Eui-yong, could visit the North to finish off preparations, if deemed necessary, South Korean presidential chief of staff, Im Jong-seok, told reporters.

The April 27 summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim is scheduled to take place in the border village of Panmunjom.

That is expected to be followed by a meeting between Kim and Trump in late May or early June, which would mark the first meeting between sitting leaders of the two countries.

“Even though our special envoys confirmed his denuclearisation will, it is entirely different if the two leaders confirm it directly among themselves and put that into text,” Im said.

“We expect the summit will confirm the denuclearisation will (of North Korea), and hope to have a comprehensive agreement with the North on the matter,” he said.

Reclusive North Korea has been pursuing nuclear and missile programmes in defiance of U.N. Security Council sanctions. It conducted its most powerful nuclear test last year and has sought to develop a missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.

But Kim has changed course since the beginning of the year, sending a delegation to the Winter Olympics held in South Korea in February and agreeing to discuss with South Korea and the United States a nuclear programmes the North has defended as a necessary deterrent against U.S. invasion.

The two Koreas are discussing the wording of a joint statement that could be released at the summit, Im said.

Moon has been reviewing a framework of the statement which could be called the April 27 declaration or the Panmunjom declaration, he said.

The statement would likely focus on issues of denuclearisation and peace on the Korean peninsula, and an improvement in relations not only between the two Koreas but also with other countries including the United States.

“This summit is significant because it will set the stage for the North Korea-U.S. summit, and even a possible three-way summit between the countries,” Im said.

“Without U.S. support and agreement, it will be difficult to follow through on inter-Korean agreements.”

Any joint statement is unlikely to include economic cooperation with the North, Im said.

U.N. Security Council sanctions imposed since North Korea’s first nuclear test in 2006 and strengthened over the past decade aim to cut North Korea off from international trade.

The two Koreas agreed last month to install a hotline for their leaders to help defuse military tension and facilitate consultation.

The telephone line could be operational by around Friday, but it is not clear when Moon and Kim would use it the first time, Im said.

The two leaders will meet at Peace House, a South Korean building inside Panmunjom, making Kim the first North Korean leader to set foot in the South since the 1950-53 Korean War.

Discussions are underway about live coverage of part of the meeting, Im said.

North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because the Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The United States stations 28,500 troops in South Korea as a legacy of the conflict.
North Korea and South Korea announce that they are planning to officially end the Korean War by writing a peace agreement. An armistice agreement was reached, ending armed conflict, in 1953. U.S. President Donald Trump called the decision to end the war a blessing.