Moon to head to U . S . for talks on upcoming U . S . - N . Korea summit SEOUL , May 21 ( Yonhap ) -- South Korean President Moon Jae - in was set to leave for Washington on Monday on an apparent mission to help broker a nuclear deal between the United States and North Korea ahead of their first - ever summit next month . Moon ' s trip follows his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong - un at the border village of Panmunjom on April 27 . He will hold talks with U . S . President Donald Trump on Tuesday ( Washington time ) . The trip , however , also comes after a series of old rhetoric from Pyongyang that accuses Seoul and Washington of trying to topple its communist regime . North Korea abruptly suspended high - level talks with the South scheduled for last week , citing an ongoing joint military exercise of the two allies . It has also threatened to reconsider the Trump - Kim summit , set to be held in Singapore on June 12 . " We expect the upcoming South Korea - U . S . summit to play a role as a bridge ( between the U . S . and North Korea ) that will lead to the success of the North Korea - U . S . summit as it comes three weeks before the North Korea - U . S . summit , " Nam Gwan - pyo , a deputy director of the presidential National Security Office , said earlier . Moon and Trump will likely discuss " ways to guarantee a bright future for the North when North Korea achieves complete denuclearization , " he added . In the Panmunjom Declaration , the leaders of the two divided Koreas agreed to pursue complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula . In a gesture demonstrating its denuclearization commitment , the North is moving to dismantle its only known nuclear test facility in Punggye - ri this week with dozens of journalists from South Korea , China , Russia , Britain and the U . S . witnessing the event . Still , its recent suspension of inter - Korean dialogue is sending out mixed signals , also forcing many to question the sincerity of its pledge to abandon its nuclear ambitions . During talks with Trump , Moon is expected to discuss what to expect and what not to expect from Kim based on his own encounter with the North Korean leader last month , officials from Seoul ' s presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said . The officials said Moon and Trump are set to hold a one - on - one meeting where they will be accompanied by their interpreters and no one else . " The fact that the two leaders will hold talks with no other attendants is important . It will likely be a chance for them to share their inner - most thoughts , " a Cheong Wa Dae official said , while asking not to be identified . Moon will head back home Wednesday following his two - day trip to the U . S . He will arrive back here early Thursday . bdk @ yna . co . kr ( END )