SEOUL (REUTERS) - The top national security advisors of United States, South Korea and Japan met to discuss North Korea and the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula", South Korea's Blue House said on Monday (March 19).

South Korea's National Security Office chief Chung Eui Yong met US National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and Japan's National Security Adviser Shotaro Yachi on March 17-18 to discuss future meetings between North Korea's Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae In, as well as between Mr Kim and US President Trump, the Blue House said in a statement.

The people in attendance agreed that "it was important to not repeat the mistakes of the past" and agreed to work closely for the coming weeks, the Blue House said.</s>South Korean soldiers patrol near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas in Paju, South Korea, January 3, 2018. Photo by Reuters/Kim Hong-Ji

North Korea reopened a long-closed border hotline with South Korea on Wednesday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to mock the North's leader by saying he has a "bigger and more powerful" nuclear button than he does.

The North's decision to open the border phone line came a day after South Korea proposed high-level discussions amid a tense standoff over North Korea's missile and nuclear programmes.

That followed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's New Year address in which he said he was open to speaking with the South and would consider sending a delegation to the Winter Olympics to be held just across the border in Pyeongchang in February.

U.S. officials said Washington would not take any talks between North and South Korea seriously if they did not contribute to denuclearising North Korea. A State Department spokeswoman said North Korea "might be trying to drive a wedge of some sort".

Kim ordered the reopening of the hotline at the truce village of Panmunjom at 0630 GMT on Wednesday, when South Korean officials at the border received a call from the North, the South's unification ministry said in a text message.

Officials on both sides were checking the line and conducting a conversation for about 20 minutes, the contents of which were not disclosed by the ministry.

That gesture came only hours after Trump, who has mocked Kim as "Little Rocket Man", again ridiculed the North Korean leader on Twitter.

"Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!" Trump tweeted.

Trump and Kim have exchanged a series of bellicose comments in recent months, raising alarm across the world, with Trump at times dismissing the prospect of a diplomatic solution to a crisis in which North Korea has threatened to destroy the United States.

While appearing to open the door to discussing taking part in the Winter Olympics, Kim also warned that he would push ahead with "mass producing" nuclear warheads in defiance of U.N. sanctions.

His New Year's Day speech came after a steep increase in missile launches in 2017, as well as the North's sixth and most powerful nuclear test. Kim, who has vowed to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the United States, said he had a nuclear button on his desk.

The hotline with the South was shut down by North Korea in February 2016 in retaliation against the closing of a border factory town that was jointly operated by the two Koreas.

"We will try to keep close communications with the south Korean side from sincere stand(sic) and honest attitude, true to the intention of our supreme leadership, and deal with the practical matters related to the dispatch of our delegation," the North's KCNA news agency quoted Ri Son Gwon, chairman of North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, as saying.

The talks would aim to establish formal dialogue about sending a North Korean delegation to the Olympics, Ri said.

South Korean presidential spokesman Yoon Young-chan said the North's decision to open the hotline had "significant meaning" because it could lead to constant communication.

U.S. officials had voiced scepticism about the possibility of meaningful talks, particularly if they did not take steps towards banning North Korea's nuclear weapons.

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, warned North Korea against staging another missile test and said Washington was hearing reports that Pyongyang might be preparing to fire another missile.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said both sides should seize the Olympics as an opportunity to improve ties and make concrete efforts toward alleviating tension.

"All relevant sides should grab hold of this positive trend in the Korean peninsula and move in the same direction," Geng told a daily news briefing in Beijing.

North Korea regularly threatens to destroy South Korea, the United States and Japan, and says its weapons are necessary to counter U.S. aggression. The United States stations 28,500 troops in the South, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.</s>Top US, South Korean and Japanese officials have discussed how to achieve the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula during weekend talks ahead of upcoming inter-Korean and US-North Korean summits, Seoul said.

Top US, South Korean and Japanese officials have discussed how to achieve the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula during weekend talks ahead of upcoming inter-Korean and US-North Korean summits, Seoul said.

Mr Trump then agreed to meet Mr Kim by the end of May, but North Korea has yet to confirm talks with the US. The developments have raised hopes for a potential breakthrough in the North Korean nuclear crisis. However, many experts say tensions would flare again if the summits fail to make any progress and leave the nuclear issue with few diplomatic options.

US national security adviser HR McMaster met his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Chung Eui-yong and Shotaro Yachi, in San Francisco for talks over the weekend on denuclearisation and the summits, South Korea’s presidential office said. They agreed to maintain close trilateral co-operation in the next several weeks and shared a view that it is important not to repeat past mistakes, the statement said. This likely refers to criticism that North Korea previously used disarmament negotiations as a way to ease outside pressure and secure aid while all along secretly pressing its weapons development.

Appearing on CBS’s Face The Nation, South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha said Mr Kim had “given his word” that he was committed to denuclearisation. She said: “He’s given his word. But the significance of his word is … quite weighty in the sense that this is the first time that the words came directly from the North Korean supreme leader himself, and that has never been done before.”

Mr Kim’s willingness to negotiate over his nuclear programme is a step forward, but many experts remain sceptical about how sincere he is about giving up a nuclear capability that his country has built for decades, despite toughening international sanctions. Mr Chung, who headed a high-level delegation to Pyongyang and met Mr Kim during his March 5-6 trip, said North Korea told his delegation it will not need to keep its nuclear weapons if military threats against it are removed and it receives a credible security guarantee.

The North has long maintained such a stance, saying it will not abandon its nuclear weapons unless the United States pulls out its troops from South Korea and Japan and stops regular military drills with South Korea that it views as an invasion rehearsal.

A senior North Korean diplomat, meanwhile, flew to Finland on Sunday for talks with former US officials as well as American and South Korean civilian academics. The meeting, set for Tuesday and Wednesday, is a possible opportunity to examine the North’s sincerity about its denuclearisation pledges.</s>SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Top U.S., South Korean and Japanese officials discussed how to achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula during weekend talks ahead of upcoming inter-Korean and U.S.-North Korean summits, Seoul said Monday.

Seoul officials who visited Pyongyang recently say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to hold summit talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in late April. Seoul says Kim proposed meeting with President Donald Trump, and Trump agreed to him by the end of May.

The developments have raised hopes for a potential breakthrough in the North Korean nuclear crisis. But many experts say animosities would flare again if the summit meetings fail to produce any progress and leave the nuclear issue with few diplomatic options. North Korea has yet to confirm North Korea-U.S. summit talks.

U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster met his South Korean and Japanese counterparts Chung Eui-yong and Shotaro Yachi in San Francisco for talks over the weekend on denuclearization and the summit talks, South Korea’s presidential office said in a statement.

They agreed to maintain close trilateral cooperation in the next several weeks and shared a view that it’s important not to repeat past mistakes, the statement said. It didn’t elaborate but likely refers to criticism that North Korea previously used disarmament negotiations as a way to ease outside pressure and win aid while all along secretly pressing its weapons development.

Appearing on CBS’ “Face the Nation” aired Sunday, South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Kim has “given his word” he’s committed to denuclearization. “He’s given his word. But the significance of his word is – is quite – quite weighty in the sense that this is the first time that the words came directly from the North Korean supreme leader himself, and that has never been done before,” she said.

Kim’s willingness to negotiate over his nuclear program is a step forward, but many experts remain skeptical about how sincere he is about giving up his nuclear program.

Chung, who headed a high-level delegation to Pyongyang and met Kim during his March 5-6 trip, says North Korea told his delegation it won’t need to keep its nuclear weapons if military threats against it are removed and it receives a credible security guarantee. The North has previously said it needs its nuclear program unless the United States pulls out its troops from South Korea and Japan and stops regular military drills with South Korea that it views as an invasion rehearsal.

A senior North Korean diplomat, meanwhile, flew to Finland on Sunday for a forum with former U.S. officials as well as American and South Korean civilian academics. The meeting, set for Tuesday and Wednesday, is a possible place to examine the North’s sincerity about its denuclearization pledges. North Korean officials and former U.S. officials and experts have often held such talks called “Track-2.”</s>The top national security advisers of the United States, South Korea and Japan met at the weekend to discuss North Korea and the “complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula”, South Korea’s presidential Blue House said on Monday.

The two days of meetings could also help prepare the way for a possible meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

They were the latest in a flurry of diplomatic activity spanning Asia, the United States and Europe ahead of North Korea’s planned summits with the South and the United States.

South Korea’s National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong met US National Security Adviser HR McMaster and Japan’s National Security Adviser Shotaro Yachi to discuss summit meetings between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the Blue House in Seoul said.

They also discussed the possible meeting between Trump and Kim, it said.

The security advisers from the three countries discussed the “complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula”, agreed that “it was important to not repeat the mistakes of the past” and to work together closely, the Blue House said.

A senior North Korean diplomat left for Finland on Sunday for talks with former U.S. and South Korean officials, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

That followed three days of talks between North Korean and Swedish foreign ministers on security on the Korean peninsula.

Sweden “engaged heavily” on the issue of US detainees during the talks between North Korean and Swedish foreign ministers, CNN reported on Sunday, citing unidentified sources with knowledge of the negotiations.

North Korea is pursuing its nuclear and missile programmes in defiance of UN Security Council sanctions and has made no secret of its plans to develop a missile capable of hitting the US mainland.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App</s>North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets members of the special delegation of South Korea's President in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency via Reuters on March 6, 2018.

Feeling the pressure of sanctions, North Korea seems "sincere" in its apparent willingness to halt nuclear tests if it held denuclearization talks with the United States, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday as U.S., South Korean and Japanese officials voiced skepticism about any discussions.

Trump declined to say whether he had any preconditions for talks with Pyongyang as officials in the United States, South Korea, Japan and China responded with caution and guarded optimism to the possibility following months of insults and threats of war between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"I think that they are sincere. And I think they're sincere also because of the sanctions and what we're doing with respect to North Korea, including the great help that we've been given from China," Trump said at a news conference after meeting with Prime Minister Stefan Lofven of Sweden, which represents U.S. interests in North Korea.

Word of possible talks was delivered by a South Korean delegation on its return from a first-ever meeting with North Korean leader Kim in Pyongyang on Monday.

A senior Trump administration official said, "We are open minded, we look forward to hearing more. But ... the North Koreans have earned our skepticism, so we're a bit guarded in our optimism." The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said "our posture toward the regime will not change until we see credible moves toward denuclearization."

Routine U.S. military exercises with allies in the region would resume, the official said. The next U.S.-South Korean exercises are expected in April.

Some U.S. and South Korean officials said a breakthrough on the Trump administration's top national-security challenge remained unlikely after the failure of previous talks, adding that North Korea may be trying to buy time to develop its weapons programs and seek relief from punishing American and U.N. sanctions.

More than 10 hours since Seoul made the announcement, there was no comment from Pyongyang.

Earlier, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office as he met with Lofven that the United States had "come a long way, at least rhetorically" with North Korea and "statements coming out of South Korea and North Korea have been very positive."

Asked if he had any preconditions for talks, Trump said, "I don't want to talk about it. We're going to see what happens."

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said the United States would continue to apply "maximum pressure" on North Korea and that all options were "on the table" until Washington sees evidence that the reclusive country was taking steps toward denuclearization.

Lofven said Sweden could provide a channel for the main parties grappling with the North Korea nuclear issue because of its longtime diplomatic relations with Pyongyang.

"It is not up to us to solve the problem but with our presence ... if the key actors ask us to help we can be there," Lofven told the news conference.

Next month, North Korea and South Korea will have the first meeting between their leaders since 2007 at the border village of Panmunjom, said Chung Eui-yong, head of the South Korean delegation.

"North Korea made clear its willingness to denuclearize the Korean peninsula and the fact there is no reason for it to have a nuclear program if military threats against the North are resolved and its regime is secure," Chung told a media briefing.

Chung cited North Korea as saying it would not carry out nuclear or missile tests while talks with the international community were under way. North Korea has not carried out any such tests since last November. North Korea also is willing to discuss normalizing ties with the United States, Chung said.

Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters late on Tuesday that "it is necessary to assess whether the North-South summit will really lead to the (North’s) abandonment of nuclear and missile development."

Tensions have eased significantly on the Korean peninsula since the Winter Olympics in the South last month, even though the countries are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty.

Since North Korea pulled out of so-called six-party denuclearization talks in 2009, Pyongyang has developed new nuclear capabilities. It tested its largest-ever intercontinental ballistic missile in November, which it said could reach all of the U.S. mainland.

Despite skepticism about Pyongyang's intentions, the prospect of talks represents a significant potential development after heightened tensions and rhetoric between Kim and Trump, who last August threatened "fire and fury" if the North threatened the United States again.

White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster and other Trump administration officials are due to meet this week with South Korean officials, including the South Korean national security adviser, two White House officials said.

Global stock markets rose on the news about North Korea. The broadest gauge of shares, MSCI's All Country World Index , rose 0.7 percent.

North Korea has vowed never to give up its nuclear program, which it calls a "treasured sword" against a possible U.S. invasion. The United States stations 28,500 troops in South Korea but denies any invasion plans.

If Pyongyang demands the departure of those troops, that could render any summit talk impossible, a South Korean government official said. "If the North were to move things forward, they would present something more realistic and doable," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

In Washington, U.S. intelligence officials said it was too early to assess North Korea's willingness on denuclearization.

"Hope springs eternal but we need to learn a lot more relative to these talks. And we will," U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told a Senate Armed Services hearing.

Lieutenant General Robert Ashley, director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, told the same hearing he did not share a sense of optimism, adding, "That's kind of a 'show me,' and so we'll see how this plays out."</s>SEOUL: The top national security advisers of the United States, South Korea and Japan met at the weekend to discuss North Korea and the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula", South Korea's presidential Blue House said on Monday (Mar 19).

The two days of meetings could also help prepare the way for a possible meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

They were the latest in a flurry of diplomatic activity spanning Asia, the United States and Europe ahead of North Korea's planned summits with the South and the United States.

South Korea's National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong met US National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and Japan's National Security Adviser Shotaro Yachi to discuss summit meetings between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the Blue House in Seoul said.

They also discussed the possible meeting between Trump and Kim, it said.

The security advisers from the three countries discussed the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula", agreed that "it was important to not repeat the mistakes of the past" and to work together closely, the Blue House said.

A senior North Korean diplomat left for Finland on Sunday for talks with former U.S. and South Korean officials, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported.

That followed three days of talks between North Korean and Swedish foreign ministers on security on the Korean peninsula.

Sweden "engaged heavily" on the issue of US detainees during the talks between North Korean and Swedish foreign ministers, CNN reported on Sunday, citing unidentified sources with knowledge of the negotiations.

North Korea is pursuing its nuclear and missile programmes in defiance of U.N. Security Council sanctions and has made no secret of its plans to develop a missile capable of hitting the US mainland.</s>SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Wednesday a three-way summit with North Korea and the United States is possible and that talks should aim for an end to the nuclear threat on the Korean peninsula.

Moon is planning a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next month after a flurry of diplomatic activity in Asia, Europe and the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump has also said he would meet Kim by the end of May.

“A North Korea-U.S. summit would be a historic event in itself following an inter-Korean summit,” Moon said at the presidential Blue House in Seoul after a preparatory meeting for the inter-Korean summit.

“Depending on the location, it could be even more dramatic. And depending on progress, it may lead to a three-way summit between the South, North and the United States,” he said.

Seoul officials are considering the border truce village of Panmunjom, where Moon and Kim are set for a one-day meeting, as the venue for talks between not only Kim and Moon but also a possible three-way meeting.

The rush of recent diplomatic contacts began in the lead-up to the Winter Olympics in South Korea last month and helped ease tensions on the Korean peninsula caused by North Korea’s pursuit of its nuclear and missile programmes in defiance of United Nations Security Council sanctions.

Moon said the series of summits should aim for a “complete end” to the nuclear and peace issues on the Korean peninsula.

He said he has a “clear goal and vision”, which is for the establishment of a lasting peace to replace the ceasefire signed at the end of the 1950-53 Korean war. It also includes the normalisation of North Korea-U.S. relations, the development of inter-Korean ties, and economic cooperation involving Pyongyang and Washington, he said.

“Whether the two Koreas live together or separately, we have to make it in a way that they prosper together and in peace, without interfering or causing damage to each other,” Moon said.

South Korea and the United States will resume joint military drills next month, although the exercises are expected to overlap with the inter-Korean summit.

Seoul and Washington delayed the annual drills until after the Winter Olympics, helping to foster conditions for a restart of intra-Korea talks.

North Korea regularly denounces the drills as preparation for war but a South Korean special envoy has said Kim understood that the allies must continue their “routine” exercises. That exchange has not been confirmed.

The North’s official KCNA news agency said on Wednesday a “dramatic atmosphere for reconciliation” has been created in cross-border ties and there has been has also been a sign of change in North Korea-U.S. relations.

That was “thanks to the proactive measure and peace-loving proposal” made by Pyongyang, not Trump’s campaign to put maximum pressure on the country, KCNA said in a commentary.

A Blue House official also said South Korea was in discussion with China and Japan for a three-way summit in Tokyo in early May. The three countries have not held such a meeting since November 2015, with relations soured by historical and territorial tension.</s>Australian Malcolm Turnbull speaks at the ASEAN Summit in Sydney on March 18, 2018. Photo by Mark Metcalfe/via Reuters

Southeast Asian countries and Australia said on Sunday they held "grave concerns" about escalating tension caused by North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes and urged "irreversible" denuclearisation.

North Korea is pursuing its weapons programs in defiance of U.N. Security Council sanctions and has boasted of its plans to develop a missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.

It defends the programmes as a necessary deterrent against perceived plans by the United States, which stations 28,500 troops in South Korea, for invasion - a plan the United States denies.

"We strongly urge the DPRK to immediately and fully comply with its obligations under all relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions," the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia said in a joint declaration, using the initials for North Korea's official name.

The country's nuclear and ballistic missile development "threaten regional and global security" the declaration added, calling for the "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation" of the nation.

Tensions have eased in recent weeks, coinciding with North Korea's participation in the Winter Olympics held in the South last month.

U.S. President Donald Trump also announced surprise plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before May, after Kim "committed to denuclearization", according to South Korea's National Security Office.

"We are cautiously encouraged by these developments," Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong told reporters in Sydney after the publication of the ASEAN declaration.

"The situation on the Korean peninsula is a complicated problem which will take time to resolve, and we hope these recent steps will contribute to lasting peace and stability."

Australia hosted ASEAN meetings this weekend, despite not being a member of the 10-nation bloc, as it seeks to tighten political and trade ties in the region amid China's rising influence.

The summit focused on fostering closer economic and security ties among ASEAN and Australia, with the nations also railing against protectionist sentiment and calling for "self-restraint" in the disputed South China Sea, a regional flashpoint.</s>South Korean officials are beginning preparations for a summit next month with North Korea, as a report shows the North had probably begun testing a nuclear reactor as recently as late February. Grace Lee reports.
Delegations from North Korea, South Korea, and the United States meet in the outskirts of Helsinki, Finland.