What Does The Trump-Kim Meeting In North Korea Aim To Achieve?

Gravitas: Will Trump's North Korea visit lead to Denuclearisation Of Korean Peninsula?

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday he and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-announces-higher-us-tariffs-on-china-goods-216186">US President Donald Trump</a> agreed completely on the need for North Korea to promptly denuclearise.

"Regarding our response to North Korea going forward, I completely agreed with President Trump in all respects," Abe told reporters after a phone call with the US leader. "Going forward, the United States and Japan will respond together, completely agreeing with a singular understanding on responding together."

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/north-korea-confirms-saturdays-multiple-projectiles-test-216146/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korean-leader-kim-oversaw-testing-of-multiple-rocket-launchers-state-media-216095">North Korea fired several "unidentified short-range projectiles"</a> into the sea off its east coast on Saturday, prompting the South to urge its communist neighbour to "stop acts that escalate military tension on the Korean peninsula".

Trump also said that he had spoken with Abe about North Korea and trade after North Korea raised doubts about the future of denuclearization dialogue with new weapons tests.

In a tweet, Trump described his talk with Abe, a close ally, as a "Very good conversation!" but gave no other details.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday he and US President Donald Trump agreed completely on the need for North Korea to promptly denuclearise. "Regarding our response to North Korea going forward, I completely agreed with President Trump in all respects," Abe told reporters after a phone call with the US leader.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday he and US President Donald Trump agreed completely on the need for North Korea to promptly denuclearise. "Regarding our response to North Korea going forward, I completely agreed with President Trump in all respects," Abe told reporters after a phone call with the US leader. "Going forward, the United States and Japan will respond together, completely agreeing with a singular understanding on responding together." North Korea fired several "unidentified short-range projectiles" into the sea off its east coast on Saturday, prompting the South to urge its communist neighbour to "stop acts that escalate military tension on the Korean peninsula". Trump also said that he had spoken with Abe about North Korea and trade after North Korea raised doubts about the future of denuclearization dialogue with new weapons tests. In a tweet, Trump described his talk with Abe, a close ally, as a "Very good conversation!" but gave no other details.

Agree with Trump that North Korea must denuclearise: Japan PM Shinzo Abe

North Korea's commitment to the "<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-condemns-us-sanctions-warns-denuclearization-at-risk-184559">denuclearisation</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-condemns-us-sanctions-warns-denuclearization-at-risk-184559"> of the Korean peninsula</a>" also includes "completely eliminating the US&nbsp;nuclear threat to Korea," North Korean state media said on Thursday.

US President Donald Trump and <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/after-north-korea-reportedly-tests-new-high-tech-weapon-us-says-confident-kim-will-fulfill-denuclearisation-promise-177629">North Korean leader Kim Jong Un</a> issued a joint statement after their historic meeting in Singapore in June that reaffirmed the North’s commitment to "work towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula" and gave US guarantees of security to North Korea.

Conflicting or vague views of what exactly "denuclearisation" means, however, have complicated negotiations that now appear stalled.

Thursday's commentary, released by North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency, is one of the clearest explanations since the June summit of how Pyongyang sees denuclearisation.

"When we refer to the Korean peninsula, the term encompasses the area of DPRK plus South Korean territory where US nuclear weapons and other forms of aggression forces are deployed," the editorial said, using the initials of North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"When we refer to the 'denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula' as well, it should be correctly understood as removing all nuclear threat factors from not only the North and the South but from all neighbouring areas."

North Korea rejects American calls for it to unilaterally denuclearise, and Washington should abandon the "delusion" of forcing Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons "via pressure and oppression," the article said.

The United States has said that it will not lift sanctions on North Korea until more progress has been made toward the verifiable denuclearisation of North Korea.

Washington has also rejected any suggestion that it would reduce its military presence in the region as part of a deal with North Korea, but in a surprise move after the summit, Trump announced that the Pentagon would cancel most of its largest military exercises conducted with the South Koreans.

The exact definition of denuclearisation is likely to be raised again as Trump has said he is working to meet again with Kim sometime early next year.

"It is obvious that denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula is a joint business that cannot be achieved unless both Korea and the United States strive together," the KCNA commentary said.

"In this sense, the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula should be defined as 'completely eliminating the US nuclear threat to Korea' before it can eliminate our nuclear deterrent."

The United States deployed nuclear weapons in South Korea from 1958 to 1991. Since they were withdrawn, the United States has extended its "nuclear umbrella" of support to Japan and South Korea using bombers and submarines based elsewhere.

At a press briefing in Washington on Tuesday, US State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said he would not "split words" when asked about whether the promise of "denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula" means only North Korea or the broader region.

"We are focused on the denuclearisation of North Korea," Palladino said. "We remain confident and we look forward to the commitments that Chairman Kim and that President Trump have made."

North Korea's commitment to the "denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula" also includes "completely eliminating the US nuclear threat to Korea," North Korean state media said on Thursday.

North Korea's commitment to the "denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula" also includes "completely eliminating the US nuclear threat to Korea," North Korean state media said on Thursday. US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un issued a joint statement after their historic meeting in Singapore in June that reaffirmed the North’s commitment to "work towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula" and gave US guarantees of security to North Korea. Conflicting or vague views of what exactly "denuclearisation" means, however, have complicated negotiations that now appear stalled. Thursday's commentary, released by North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency, is one of the clearest explanations since the June summit of how Pyongyang sees denuclearisation. "When we refer to the Korean peninsula, the term encompasses the area of DPRK plus South Korean territory where US nuclear weapons and other forms of aggression forces are deployed," the editorial said, using the initials of North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "When we refer to the 'denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula' as well, it should be correctly understood as removing all nuclear threat factors from not only the North and the South but from all neighbouring areas." North Korea rejects American calls for it to unilaterally denuclearise, and Washington should abandon the "delusion" of forcing Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons "via pressure and oppression," the article said. The United States has said that it will not lift sanctions on North Korea until more progress has been made toward the verifiable denuclearisation of North Korea. Washington has also rejected any suggestion that it would reduce its military presence in the region as part of a deal with North Korea, but in a surprise move after the summit, Trump announced that the Pentagon would cancel most of its largest military exercises conducted with the South Koreans. The exact definition of denuclearisation is likely to be raised again as Trump has said he is working to meet again with Kim sometime early next year. "It is obvious that denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula is a joint business that cannot be achieved unless both Korea and the United States strive together," the KCNA commentary said. "In this sense, the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula should be defined as 'completely eliminating the US nuclear threat to Korea' before it can eliminate our nuclear deterrent." The United States deployed nuclear weapons in South Korea from 1958 to 1991. Since they were withdrawn, the United States has extended its "nuclear umbrella" of support to Japan and South Korea using bombers and submarines based elsewhere. At a press briefing in Washington on Tuesday, US State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said he would not "split words" when asked about whether the promise of "denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula" means only North Korea or the broader region. "We are focused on the denuclearisation of North Korea," Palladino said. "We remain confident and we look forward to the commitments that Chairman Kim and that President Trump have made."

Denuclearisation includes eliminating US nuclear threat in Korean Peninsula: North Korean state media

Donald Trump accepted an invitation from Kim Jong Un to visit North Korea during their historic summit, Pyongyang state media reported Wednesday, as the US president said the world had jumped back from the brink of "nuclear catastrophe".&nbsp;

Tuesday's unprecedented encounter in Singapore saw the leader of the world's most powerful democracy shake hands with Kim, the third generation scion of a dynastic dictatorship, as they stood as equals in front of their nations' flags.

In a characteristically bullish tweet, Trump said the first-ever summit between sitting leaders of the two Cold War foes meant "the World has taken a big step back from potential Nuclear catastrophe!"

"No more rocket launches, nuclear testing or research! The hostages are back home with their families. Thank you to Chairman Kim, our day together was historic!"

In a joint statement following the talks, Kim agreed to the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula" -- a stock phrase favoured by Pyongyang that stopped short of long-standing US demands for North Korea to give up its atomic arsenal in a "verifiable" and "irreversible" way.

In its first report on the landmark summit, the official KCNA news agency ran a glowing dispatch on the talks, describing them as an "epoch-making meeting" that would help foster "a radical switchover in the most hostile (North Korea)-US relations".

The report said the two men each asked the other to visit their country.

"The two top leaders gladly accepted each other's invitation," KCNA said.

It asserted that Trump had "expressed his intention" to lift sanctions against the North -- something the US president had told a blockbuster press conference would happen "when we are sure that the nukes are no longer a factor".

"The sanctions right now remain," he added.&nbsp;

With the headline: "Meeting of the century opens new history in DPRK-US relations", the North's ruling Workers Party official daily Rodong Sinmun splashed no fewer than 33 pictures across four of its usual six pages.

One of the pictures showed a smiling Kim shaking hands with Trump's hawkish National Security Advisor John Bolton, who has previously advocated military action against the North, which in turn has referred to him as "human scum."

'War games' 
Pyongyang has reason to feel confident after the meeting, a major coup for an isolated and heavily sanctioned regime that has long craved international legitimacy.

"Kim Jong Un got what he wanted at the Singapore Summit: the international prestige and respect of a one-on-one meeting with the American president, the legitimacy of North Korean flags hanging next to American flags in the background," said Paul Haenle, director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center.

In his post-summit press conference, Trump made the surprise announcement that the US would halt joint military exercises with its security ally Seoul -- something long sought by Pyongyang, which claims the drills are a rehearsal for invasion.

The US stations around 30,000 troops in security ally South Korea to protect it from its neighbour, which invaded in 1950 in an attempt to reunify the peninsula by force.

"We will be stopping the war games which will save us a tremendous amount of money," Trump told reporters, adding that "at some point" he wanted to withdraw US troops from the South.

Both Seoul and US military commanders in the South indicated they had no idea the announcement was coming, and in an editorial Wednesday the Korea Herald said it was "worrisome".

Smiles and handshakes 
The Singapore summit was a potentially legacy-defining meeting for both men -- comparable to president Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China, or Ronald Reagan's 1986 summit with Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik.

Only a few months ago, the pair were swapping personal insults such as "dotard" and "little rocket man" and the North conducted its six and most powerful nuclear test, as well as firing missiles over Japan.

Trump vowed to rain down "fire and fury" on Pyongyang if it threatened the US but instead in Singapore it was compliments that flowed, as the president described Kim as "talented" and said they had forged a "special bond."

After a day filled with smiles and handshakes watched around the world, the US "committed to provide security guarantees" to North Korea.

But critics charged that the summit legitimised Kim, whose regime has been accused of multiple human rights abuses, and said the summit was more about headlines than substantive progress.

Trump said the US would be checking Kim's progress towards denuclearisation "very strongly" but many agreements made in the past with North Korea have later fallen apart.

World powers from China to Japan, the European Union and Russia welcomed its outcome -- while cautioning it was only the first step towards resolving the nuclear stand-off with Pyongyang.

But some media in Japan, which North Korea has in the past threatened to "sink into the sea", were cautious.

"The real bargaining has now started between the US and North Korea. Problems that cannot be solved through a bling-bling political show remain on both sides," said the liberal Mainichi Shimbun.

Kim says denuclearisation dependent on ceasing antagonism: KCNA

Kim Jong-Un meanwhile said ridding the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons is dependent on Washington and Pyongyang ceasing moves that antagonise each other, the North's state media said Wednesday.

"Kim Jong Un said in order to achieve peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and realise its denuclearisation, the two countries should commit themselves to refraining from antagonising... each other out of mutual understanding," the state-run KCNA news agency said.

Kim meanwhile said ridding the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons is dependent on Washington and Pyongyang ceasing moves that antagonise each other

Donald Trump accepted an invitation from Kim Jong Un to visit North Korea during their historic summit, Pyongyang state media reported Wednesday, as the US president said the world had jumped back from the brink of "nuclear catastrophe". Tuesday's unprecedented encounter in Singapore saw the leader of the world's most powerful democracy shake hands with Kim, the third generation scion of a dynastic dictatorship, as they stood as equals in front of their nations' flags. In a characteristically bullish tweet, Trump said the first-ever summit between sitting leaders of the two Cold War foes meant "the World has taken a big step back from potential Nuclear catastrophe!" "No more rocket launches, nuclear testing or research! The hostages are back home with their families. Thank you to Chairman Kim, our day together was historic!" In a joint statement following the talks, Kim agreed to the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula" -- a stock phrase favoured by Pyongyang that stopped short of long-standing US demands for North Korea to give up its atomic arsenal in a "verifiable" and "irreversible" way. In its first report on the landmark summit, the official KCNA news agency ran a glowing dispatch on the talks, describing them as an "epoch-making meeting" that would help foster "a radical switchover in the most hostile (North Korea)-US relations". The report said the two men each asked the other to visit their country. "The two top leaders gladly accepted each other's invitation," KCNA said. It asserted that Trump had "expressed his intention" to lift sanctions against the North -- something the US president had told a blockbuster press conference would happen "when we are sure that the nukes are no longer a factor". "The sanctions right now remain," he added. With the headline: "Meeting of the century opens new history in DPRK-US relations", the North's ruling Workers Party official daily Rodong Sinmun splashed no fewer than 33 pictures across four of its usual six pages. One of the pictures showed a smiling Kim shaking hands with Trump's hawkish National Security Advisor John Bolton, who has previously advocated military action against the North, which in turn has referred to him as "human scum." 'War games' Pyongyang has reason to feel confident after the meeting, a major coup for an isolated and heavily sanctioned regime that has long craved international legitimacy. "Kim Jong Un got what he wanted at the Singapore Summit: the international prestige and respect of a one-on-one meeting with the American president, the legitimacy of North Korean flags hanging next to American flags in the background," said Paul Haenle, director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center. In his post-summit press conference, Trump made the surprise announcement that the US would halt joint military exercises with its security ally Seoul -- something long sought by Pyongyang, which claims the drills are a rehearsal for invasion. The US stations around 30,000 troops in security ally South Korea to protect it from its neighbour, which invaded in 1950 in an attempt to reunify the peninsula by force. "We will be stopping the war games which will save us a tremendous amount of money," Trump told reporters, adding that "at some point" he wanted to withdraw US troops from the South. Both Seoul and US military commanders in the South indicated they had no idea the announcement was coming, and in an editorial Wednesday the Korea Herald said it was "worrisome". Smiles and handshakes The Singapore summit was a potentially legacy-defining meeting for both men -- comparable to president Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China, or Ronald Reagan's 1986 summit with Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik. Only a few months ago, the pair were swapping personal insults such as "dotard" and "little rocket man" and the North conducted its six and most powerful nuclear test, as well as firing missiles over Japan. Trump vowed to rain down "fire and fury" on Pyongyang if it threatened the US but instead in Singapore it was compliments that flowed, as the president described Kim as "talented" and said they had forged a "special bond." After a day filled with smiles and handshakes watched around the world, the US "committed to provide security guarantees" to North Korea. But critics charged that the summit legitimised Kim, whose regime has been accused of multiple human rights abuses, and said the summit was more about headlines than substantive progress. Trump said the US would be checking Kim's progress towards denuclearisation "very strongly" but many agreements made in the past with North Korea have later fallen apart. World powers from China to Japan, the European Union and Russia welcomed its outcome -- while cautioning it was only the first step towards resolving the nuclear stand-off with Pyongyang. But some media in Japan, which North Korea has in the past threatened to "sink into the sea", were cautious. "The real bargaining has now started between the US and North Korea. Problems that cannot be solved through a bling-bling political show remain on both sides," said the liberal Mainichi Shimbun. Kim says denuclearisation dependent on ceasing antagonism: KCNA Kim Jong-Un meanwhile said ridding the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons is dependent on Washington and Pyongyang ceasing moves that antagonise each other, the North's state media said Wednesday. "Kim Jong Un said in order to achieve peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and realise its denuclearisation, the two countries should commit themselves to refraining from antagonising... each other out of mutual understanding," the state-run KCNA news agency said.

Summit with Kim helped avoid 'nuclear catastrophe', says Trump

China urges all parties concerned to the Korean Peninsula issue to build perseverance, maintain patience and make unremitting efforts to find a political settlement of the Peninsula issue, said Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang.

Geng, the spokesman, made the remarks at a regular briefing in Beijing&nbsp;on Wednesday.

The top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un and US&nbsp;President Donald Trump met in Singapore&nbsp;on Tuesday&nbsp;for a landmark summit. The two leaders signed a "comprehensive" joint statement after their summit. The United States would be committed to providing security guarantees to the DPRK in exchange for Pyongyang's commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Geng said that a good beginning is half done.

"We think that after a long time of hostility and confrontation between the DPRK and the US, it was of great and positive historic significance for the top leaders of the two countries to sit together and have dialogue on an equal footing. The achievements reached by the two leaders are an important step toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, ending hostility and confrontation, and pursuing lasting peace and prosperity of the peninsula. The Korean Peninsula issue has its complexity and particularity, which cannot be resolved overnight. It requires all parties to build perseverance, maintain patience and make unremitting efforts over the Korean Peninsula issue," said Geng.

Geng said China hopes and supports the two sides to implement the consensus reached by the two leaders, promote follow-up consultations, further consolidate and expand the achievements, and make the political settlement of the Peninsula issue a sustainable and irreversible process.

"As a close neighbor of the peninsula and an important party to the issue, China stands ready to work with other relevant parties toward denuclearization and the establishment of a mechanism for peace on the Korean Peninsula, and make positive efforts and contribution to early realization of long-term peace and stability of the peninsula," said Geng.

Geng also reiterated China's stance over the sanctions that United Nations (UN) has imposed on DPRK when answering a reporter's question.

"China always believes that sanctions are not the goals. All parties should support and cooperate with the efforts of diplomatic dialogues and denuclearization, and push forward the process of political settlement of the Peninsula issue," said Geng.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The two leaders signed a "comprehensive" joint statement after their summit

China urges all parties concerned to the Korean Peninsula issue to build perseverance, maintain patience and make unremitting efforts to find a political settlement of the Peninsula issue, said Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang. Geng, the spokesman, made the remarks at a regular briefing in Beijing on Wednesday. The top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump met in Singapore on Tuesday for a landmark summit. The two leaders signed a "comprehensive" joint statement after their summit. The United States would be committed to providing security guarantees to the DPRK in exchange for Pyongyang's commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Geng said that a good beginning is half done. "We think that after a long time of hostility and confrontation between the DPRK and the US, it was of great and positive historic significance for the top leaders of the two countries to sit together and have dialogue on an equal footing. The achievements reached by the two leaders are an important step toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, ending hostility and confrontation, and pursuing lasting peace and prosperity of the peninsula. The Korean Peninsula issue has its complexity and particularity, which cannot be resolved overnight. It requires all parties to build perseverance, maintain patience and make unremitting efforts over the Korean Peninsula issue," said Geng. Geng said China hopes and supports the two sides to implement the consensus reached by the two leaders, promote follow-up consultations, further consolidate and expand the achievements, and make the political settlement of the Peninsula issue a sustainable and irreversible process. "As a close neighbor of the peninsula and an important party to the issue, China stands ready to work with other relevant parties toward denuclearization and the establishment of a mechanism for peace on the Korean Peninsula, and make positive efforts and contribution to early realization of long-term peace and stability of the peninsula," said Geng. Geng also reiterated China's stance over the sanctions that United Nations (UN) has imposed on DPRK when answering a reporter's question. "China always believes that sanctions are not the goals. All parties should support and cooperate with the efforts of diplomatic dialogues and denuclearization, and push forward the process of political settlement of the Peninsula issue," said Geng.

China urges perseverance, patience from all parties over Korean Peninsula

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his commitment to "complete denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula", in a joint agreement signed with President Donald Trump Tuesday.

The text made no mention of US demands for "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation" -- jargon for scrapping weapons and committing to inspections -- but did restate a vaguer commitment, AFP saw in a photo of the document.&nbsp

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-kim-very-smart-north-korea-to-denuclearise-very-very-quickly-143790">Trump says Kim 'very smart', North Korea to denuclearise 'very, very quickly'</a>

The text made no mention of US demands for 'complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation' — jargon for scrapping weapons and committing to inspections — but did restate a vaguer commitment

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his commitment to "complete denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula", in a joint agreement signed with President Donald Trump Tuesday. The text made no mention of US demands for "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation" -- jargon for scrapping weapons and committing to inspections -- but did restate a vaguer commitment, AFP saw in a photo of the document. Also read: Trump says Kim 'very smart', North Korea to denuclearise 'very, very quickly'

Kim Jong-Un commits to 'complete denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula' in joint text

Gold&nbsp;prices remained&nbsp;locked&nbsp;just&nbsp;below&nbsp;$1,300 an ounce on Tuesday as investors waited for clues on the pace of US&nbsp;interest rate rises from a&nbsp;Federal Reserve&nbsp;meeting this week.

A&nbsp;Fed&nbsp;statement and press conference expected from 1800 GMT on Wednesday could push&nbsp;gold out of the tight range of around $1,290-$1,305 in which it has been trapped since mid-May.

Gold&nbsp;is highly sensitive to interest rates because higher rates push up bond yields, making non-yielding&nbsp;gold&nbsp;less attractive, and tend to strengthen the dollar, increasing the cost of&nbsp;gold&nbsp;for buyers using other currencies.

Investors expect the&nbsp;Fed&nbsp;to increase rates on Wednesday but will be looking for hints at future policy. A more aggressive stance on monetary tightening would hurt&nbsp;gold.

"We are waiting for the FOMC," said Saxo Bank analyst Ole Hansen, referring to the&nbsp;Fed's policy committee.

Gold&nbsp;prices have tended to fall ahead of previous rate rises but recover afterwards, he said. "We're still erring towards the potential for a move higher here."

Spot&nbsp;gold&nbsp;was down 0.1 per cent at $1,298.15 an ounce at 1021 GMT, while US gold&nbsp;futures for August delivery were 0.1 per cent lower at $1,302 an ounce.

The dollar and US&nbsp;bond yields were also largely flat.

Adding to the wait-and-see mood for&nbsp;gold&nbsp;were expectations that the European Central Bank will signal a winding down of its vast bond-buying programme at a&nbsp;meeting&nbsp;on Thursday. This would likely help&nbsp;gold&nbsp;by boosting the euro and weakening the dollar.

Japan's central bank will also meet on June 14-15.

Gold&nbsp;did not react strongly to a pledge by the leaders of the United States and North Korea to work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

The joint statement signed at the end of a summit in Singapore gave few details on how this goal would be achieved.

Gold&nbsp;is traditionally used as a safe place to invest money during times of uncertainty, and growing tensions over Korea have added to demand.

In other precious metals, silver was down 0.2 per cent at $16.86 an ounce after hitting a seven-week high of $16.95 on Monday.

Platinum was 0.2 per cent higher at $905.80 an ounce and palladium was down 0.3 per cent at $1,019 an ounce.

A Fed statement and press conference expected from 1800 GMT on Wednesday could push gold out of the tight range of around $1,290-$1,305 in which it has been trapped since mid-May

Gold prices remained locked just below $1,300 an ounce on Tuesday as investors waited for clues on the pace of US interest rate rises from a Federal Reserve meeting this week. A Fed statement and press conference expected from 1800 GMT on Wednesday could push gold out of the tight range of around $1,290-$1,305 in which it has been trapped since mid-May. Gold is highly sensitive to interest rates because higher rates push up bond yields, making non-yielding gold less attractive, and tend to strengthen the dollar, increasing the cost of gold for buyers using other currencies. Investors expect the Fed to increase rates on Wednesday but will be looking for hints at future policy. A more aggressive stance on monetary tightening would hurt gold. "We are waiting for the FOMC," said Saxo Bank analyst Ole Hansen, referring to the Fed's policy committee. Gold prices have tended to fall ahead of previous rate rises but recover afterwards, he said. "We're still erring towards the potential for a move higher here." Spot gold was down 0.1 per cent at $1,298.15 an ounce at 1021 GMT, while US gold futures for August delivery were 0.1 per cent lower at $1,302 an ounce. The dollar and US bond yields were also largely flat. Adding to the wait-and-see mood for gold were expectations that the European Central Bank will signal a winding down of its vast bond-buying programme at a meeting on Thursday. This would likely help gold by boosting the euro and weakening the dollar. Japan's central bank will also meet on June 14-15. Gold did not react strongly to a pledge by the leaders of the United States and North Korea to work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. The joint statement signed at the end of a summit in Singapore gave few details on how this goal would be achieved. Gold is traditionally used as a safe place to invest money during times of uncertainty, and growing tensions over Korea have added to demand. In other precious metals, silver was down 0.2 per cent at $16.86 an ounce after hitting a seven-week high of $16.95 on Monday. Platinum was 0.2 per cent higher at $905.80 an ounce and palladium was down 0.3 per cent at $1,019 an ounce.

Gold locked below $1,300 as market braces for Federal Reserve meeting

Events around the Korean peninsula have been moving at a dizzying pace over the last few days, with a summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un that was on, then off, then apparently on again.

Here's where we stand with what could be a historic meeting.

A few months ago Kim and Trump were hurling insults and threats of war with each other.

The rhetoric began to cool during the Winter Olympics in South Korea, and by mid-March, the two sides had agreed to a face-to-face.

After some back-and-forth,&nbsp;June 12&nbsp;in Singapore was fixed on, but as May ticked over both sides began casting doubt on the meeting.

The insults started up again, with North Korea calling US Vice President Mike Pence a "dummy", and both sides threatening to walk away.

Trump abruptly pulled the plug last week, only to apparently reverse course&nbsp;24 hours later&nbsp;in the wake of Pyongyang's emollient response.

Some say Trump's sudden willingness to walk rattled Pyongyang, which has since dialled down its rhetoric and expressed a willingness to talk "at any time".

"Trump's unexpected response totally took Kim by surprise and left the North scrambling to find a way to mend things," Cho Sung-ryul, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Strategy, told AFP.&nbsp;

Others say the crisis was primarily averted by Kim and South Korea’s president Moon Jae-in, who made the extraordinary decision to meet in the Panmunjom truce village between the two Koreas.

The State Department says a team of US officials also met with North Koreans in Panmunjom&nbsp;on Sunday.

The Washington Post reported that senior diplomat Sung Kim was leading the US delegation and that the two sides planned to continue talking&nbsp;Monday&nbsp;and&nbsp;Tuesday.

The White House said on the weekend that a separate team of officials was also on its way to Singapore to lay the ground for the meeting.

Few American officials have more experience of dealing with North Koreans than Sung Kim.

The Korean-born diplomat previously served as Washington's ambassador in Seoul and was a special envoy during ultimately fruitless Six-Party Talks in the mid-2000s.

He is currently Washington's envoy to the Philippines but has been called back to his old stomping ground -- Trump has yet to nominate an ambassador to Seoul.

Given the twists and turns, and the mercurial nature of the parties involved, few Korea watchers are prepared to say with any certainty. But most observers are confident the process is back on track -- for now.

In the last 48 hours, Trump has sounded upbeat, saying the&nbsp;June 12&nbsp;meeting will still go ahead, or that it could happen at a later date if more time is needed.

Usually, this kind of summits are planned months, sometimes years in advance.

Now officials have only a fortnight left to finalise thorny protocol details such as where in Singapore the talks will take place and how internationally sanctioned North Korean officials will travel there.

Importantly, they'll also have to decide what exactly the two men are going to talk about.

In a word, denuclearisation.

Both sides say they want it, but there is a yawning gulf between their definitions.

Washington says it wants to see the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation (CVID) of North Korea in return for sanctions and economic relief.

Trump wants to see CVID take place immediately -- although he has recently conceded a phased approach could be discussed.

Moon says Kim is also committed to the "complete" denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

But when asked if that meant the same as CVID, he told reporters that was something for Pyongyang and Washington to discuss.

Analysts believe North Korea will be unwilling to cede its nuclear deterrent unless it is given security guarantees that the US won't try to topple the regime.

That may mean they will look for confidence-building measures such as a reduction in US troops in South Korea or joint military drills.

Kim Sung-han, professor of international relations at Korea University, said Trump will have difficulty accepting any conditions from North Korea, partly because he had been so critical of the Iran nuclear deal.&nbsp;

"If he believes that it would be hard to include CVID or any specific terms to mandate the North to carry out nuclear disarmament quickly, he may cancel the summit again, even days before the event," he said.

After some back-and-forth, June 12 in Singapore was fixed on, but as May ticked over both sides began casting doubt on the meeting

Events around the Korean peninsula have been moving at a dizzying pace over the last few days, with a summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un that was on, then off, then apparently on again. Here's where we stand with what could be a historic meeting. A few months ago Kim and Trump were hurling insults and threats of war with each other. The rhetoric began to cool during the Winter Olympics in South Korea, and by mid-March, the two sides had agreed to a face-to-face. After some back-and-forth, June 12 in Singapore was fixed on, but as May ticked over both sides began casting doubt on the meeting. The insults started up again, with North Korea calling US Vice President Mike Pence a "dummy", and both sides threatening to walk away. Trump abruptly pulled the plug last week, only to apparently reverse course 24 hours later in the wake of Pyongyang's emollient response. Some say Trump's sudden willingness to walk rattled Pyongyang, which has since dialled down its rhetoric and expressed a willingness to talk "at any time". "Trump's unexpected response totally took Kim by surprise and left the North scrambling to find a way to mend things," Cho Sung-ryul, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Strategy, told AFP. Others say the crisis was primarily averted by Kim and South Korea’s president Moon Jae-in, who made the extraordinary decision to meet in the Panmunjom truce village between the two Koreas. The State Department says a team of US officials also met with North Koreans in Panmunjom on Sunday. The Washington Post reported that senior diplomat Sung Kim was leading the US delegation and that the two sides planned to continue talking Monday and Tuesday. The White House said on the weekend that a separate team of officials was also on its way to Singapore to lay the ground for the meeting. Few American officials have more experience of dealing with North Koreans than Sung Kim. The Korean-born diplomat previously served as Washington's ambassador in Seoul and was a special envoy during ultimately fruitless Six-Party Talks in the mid-2000s. He is currently Washington's envoy to the Philippines but has been called back to his old stomping ground -- Trump has yet to nominate an ambassador to Seoul. Given the twists and turns, and the mercurial nature of the parties involved, few Korea watchers are prepared to say with any certainty. But most observers are confident the process is back on track -- for now. In the last 48 hours, Trump has sounded upbeat, saying the June 12 meeting will still go ahead, or that it could happen at a later date if more time is needed. Usually, this kind of summits are planned months, sometimes years in advance. Now officials have only a fortnight left to finalise thorny protocol details such as where in Singapore the talks will take place and how internationally sanctioned North Korean officials will travel there. Importantly, they'll also have to decide what exactly the two men are going to talk about. In a word, denuclearisation. Both sides say they want it, but there is a yawning gulf between their definitions. Washington says it wants to see the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation (CVID) of North Korea in return for sanctions and economic relief. Trump wants to see CVID take place immediately -- although he has recently conceded a phased approach could be discussed. Moon says Kim is also committed to the "complete" denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. But when asked if that meant the same as CVID, he told reporters that was something for Pyongyang and Washington to discuss. Analysts believe North Korea will be unwilling to cede its nuclear deterrent unless it is given security guarantees that the US won't try to topple the regime. That may mean they will look for confidence-building measures such as a reduction in US troops in South Korea or joint military drills. Kim Sung-han, professor of international relations at Korea University, said Trump will have difficulty accepting any conditions from North Korea, partly because he had been so critical of the Iran nuclear deal. "If he believes that it would be hard to include CVID or any specific terms to mandate the North to carry out nuclear disarmament quickly, he may cancel the summit again, even days before the event," he said.

Diplomatic duels: What now for the Trump-Kim summit?

The United States is committed to achieving denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and creating conditions such that the North Korean regime no longer threatens the world, news agency PTI reported quoting Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said.

Pompeo made the comments after attending a White House meeting between President Donald Trump and the visiting South Korean President Moon Jae-in yesterday.

"We are committed to achieving denuclearisation and creating conditions such that the North Korean regime no longer threatens the world," PTI quoted Pompeo as saying to the reporters&nbsp

The State Department and the White House, he said, were continuing to prepare for the meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, so that in the event that the summit takes place on scheduled date, the administration is fully prepared.

Trump and Kim are scheduled to meet in Singapore on June 12. However, North Korea has threatened to cancel the meeting over a joint US-South Korea military exercise. The US has said it is going ahead with the preparation.

Pompeo said the mission statement had not changed at all.

"Will do what it takes to make sure that this is a successful meeting, whether that's meeting with the North Koreans in some third country or whatever it may take. We are prepared," Pompeo said in response to a question.

"The President will ask us to ensure that we've done all we can to make sure that we have the real opportunity to have this historic successful outcome," he said.

Exuding confidence that the meeting would indeed take place, Pompeo, who is the only US leader to have met Kim twice in the last one month, said the US was continuing to do its work and lay the foundation for a successful meeting.

"With respect to Chairman Kim, I haven't spoken publicly about the conversations we've had they were between he and I," Pompeo said.

"But I do have a real sense that he would find American investment, American technology, American know-how of real value to his people, and it's something that he and I had a chance to speak about generally," he said.

Pompeo said if the meeting takes place and North Korea promises denuclearisation, then America would be "quite capable of delivering them with lots of things that would make life better for the North Korean people".

Responding to a question, Pompeo said nothing has given them pause for the summit.

"Chairman Kim asked for this meeting. President Trump agreed to undertake it. We worked to find a date and location. We got those set. And since then, we're driving on," he said.

Pompeo made the comments after attending a White House meeting between President Donald Trump and the visiting South Korean President Moon Jae-in yesterday.

The United States is committed to achieving denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and creating conditions such that the North Korean regime no longer threatens the world, news agency PTI reported quoting Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said. Pompeo made the comments after attending a White House meeting between President Donald Trump and the visiting South Korean President Moon Jae-in yesterday. "We are committed to achieving denuclearisation and creating conditions such that the North Korean regime no longer threatens the world," PTI quoted Pompeo as saying to the reporters The State Department and the White House, he said, were continuing to prepare for the meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, so that in the event that the summit takes place on scheduled date, the administration is fully prepared. Trump and Kim are scheduled to meet in Singapore on June 12. However, North Korea has threatened to cancel the meeting over a joint US-South Korea military exercise. The US has said it is going ahead with the preparation. Pompeo said the mission statement had not changed at all. "Will do what it takes to make sure that this is a successful meeting, whether that's meeting with the North Koreans in some third country or whatever it may take. We are prepared," Pompeo said in response to a question. "The President will ask us to ensure that we've done all we can to make sure that we have the real opportunity to have this historic successful outcome," he said. Exuding confidence that the meeting would indeed take place, Pompeo, who is the only US leader to have met Kim twice in the last one month, said the US was continuing to do its work and lay the foundation for a successful meeting. "With respect to Chairman Kim, I haven't spoken publicly about the conversations we've had they were between he and I," Pompeo said. "But I do have a real sense that he would find American investment, American technology, American know-how of real value to his people, and it's something that he and I had a chance to speak about generally," he said. Pompeo said if the meeting takes place and North Korea promises denuclearisation, then America would be "quite capable of delivering them with lots of things that would make life better for the North Korean people". Responding to a question, Pompeo said nothing has given them pause for the summit. "Chairman Kim asked for this meeting. President Trump agreed to undertake it. We worked to find a date and location. We got those set. And since then, we're driving on," he said.

US committed to achieving denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula: US Secretary of State

After making high-profile <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/south-korea-offers-to-mediate-to-clear-doubts-over-north-korea-us-summit-137708">peace overtures towards South Korea</a> and amid a peace summit with Trump next month, North Korea's minister again lashed out at its "ignorant" neighbour in the south denouncing it as "incompetent".

Ri Son Gwon, chairman of North <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-threatens-to-cancel-us-summit-137331">Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification</a>, criticised the South for conducting joint military drills once again with the US after earlier warnings to pull out of talks with Trump in Singapore next month.

"Unless the serious situation which led to the suspension of the north-south high-level talks is settled, it will never be easy to sit face to face again with the present regime of South Korea," North's KCNA news agency said in a statement.

North Korea had said earlier that it might not attend the June 12 summit with Trump and South Korean president&nbspMoon&nbspif the military drills do not stop and the US on its part continues to prod&nbspit to dismantle its nuclear arsenal.

"On this opportunity, the present South Korean authorities have been clearly proven to be an ignorant and incompetent group devoid of the elementary sense of the present situation," Ri's statement said.

Despite this, the US said it continues to prepare for next month's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.&nbsp

Heather Nauert, State Department spokeswoman, said: "we will continue to go ahead and plan the meeting between president Trump and Kim Jong-Un."

Meanwhile, Trump will host South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House next week with efforts underway by both countries to bring Kim to the negotiating&nbsptable in order to help "denuclearise" the Korean peninsula.

However, North Korea's current mood has made several experts sceptical. Kim's regime is especially against US-South Korean "Max Thunder" air combat drills. The exercise reportedly involves US stealth fighters, B-52 bombers and "nuclear assets".

<iframe allow="autoplay encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XDl_nA-tvp0" width="560"></iframe>

Trump will host South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House next week with efforts underway by both countries to bring Kim to the table

After making high-profile peace overtures towards South Korea and amid a peace summit with Trump next month, North Korea's minister again lashed out at its "ignorant" neighbour in the south denouncing it as "incompetent". Ri Son Gwon, chairman of North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification, criticised the South for conducting joint military drills once again with the US after earlier warnings to pull out of talks with Trump in Singapore next month. "Unless the serious situation which led to the suspension of the north-south high-level talks is settled, it will never be easy to sit face to face again with the present regime of South Korea," North's KCNA news agency said in a statement. North Korea had said earlier that it might not attend the June 12 summit with Trump and South Korean president&nbspMoon&nbspif the military drills do not stop and the US on its part continues to prod&nbspit to dismantle its nuclear arsenal. "On this opportunity, the present South Korean authorities have been clearly proven to be an ignorant and incompetent group devoid of the elementary sense of the present situation," Ri's statement said. Despite this, the US said it continues to prepare for next month's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Heather Nauert, State Department spokeswoman, said: "we will continue to go ahead and plan the meeting between president Trump and Kim Jong-Un." Meanwhile, Trump will host South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House next week with efforts underway by both countries to bring Kim to the negotiating&nbsptable in order to help "denuclearise" the Korean peninsula. However, North Korea's current mood has made several experts sceptical. Kim's regime is especially against US-South Korean "Max Thunder" air combat drills. The exercise reportedly involves US stealth fighters, B-52 bombers and "nuclear assets".

North Korea again lashes out at 'incompetent' South Korea over military drills with US

US President Donald Trump on Saturday informed about his conversation with his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe regarding the recent development on the Korean Peninsula.

The historic meeting between Moon and North Korean leaders Kim Jong-Un on Friday culminated in a mutual promise to promote peace on the Korean peninsula and take immediate measures to initiate denuclearisation.&nbsp;

Trump took to Twitter saying that he had a "very good talk" with President Moon. He also noted that the time and the location for his upcoming meeting with Kim Jon-Un have also been decided.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Just had a long and very good talk with President Moon of South Korea. Things are going very well, time and location of meeting with North Korea is being set. Also spoke to Prime Minister Abe of Japan to inform him of the ongoing negotiations.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/990225456233316354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"Just had a long and very good talk with President Moon of South Korea. Things are going very well, time and location of meeting with North Korea are being set. Also spoke to Prime Minister Abe of Japan to inform him of the ongoing negotiations," read Trump's tweet.

US President Donald Trump had a busy week meeting French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.&nbsp;

In a press conference with Merkel on Friday, Trump noted having a "very good working relationship" with Kim Jong-Un and that he thinks that "some very good things can happen" with North Korea.&nbsp;

Trump is expected to meet the North Korean leader in May-June.&nbsp;

Trump is expected to meet the North Korean leader in May-June

US President Donald Trump on Saturday informed about his conversation with his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe regarding the recent development on the Korean Peninsula. The historic meeting between Moon and North Korean leaders Kim Jong-Un on Friday culminated in a mutual promise to promote peace on the Korean peninsula and take immediate measures to initiate denuclearisation. Trump took to Twitter saying that he had a "very good talk" with President Moon. He also noted that the time and the location for his upcoming meeting with Kim Jon-Un have also been decided. Just had a long and very good talk with President Moon of South Korea. Things are going very well, time and location of meeting with North Korea is being set. Also spoke to Prime Minister Abe of Japan to inform him of the ongoing negotiations. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 28, 2018 × "Just had a long and very good talk with President Moon of South Korea. Things are going very well, time and location of meeting with North Korea are being set. Also spoke to Prime Minister Abe of Japan to inform him of the ongoing negotiations," read Trump's tweet. US President Donald Trump had a busy week meeting French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. In a press conference with Merkel on Friday, Trump noted having a "very good working relationship" with Kim Jong-Un and that he thinks that "some very good things can happen" with North Korea. Trump is expected to meet the North Korean leader in May-June.

Trump has 'very good talk' with Moon, Abe over Korean Peninsula

US President Donald Trump on Friday hoped that the Korean peninsula will witness peace someday. As Trump spoke to US athletes who participated in the Winter Olympics in South Korea he expressed hope that both sides "can someday live in harmony, prosperity and peace".

"It looks like it could happen," he added. "When I began, people were saying that was an impossibility. They said there were two alternatives: Let them have what they have or go to war. And now we have a much better alternative than anybody thought even possible."

Donald Trump also said that he would be meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in May or June with an aim to denuclearize the Korean peninsula.&nbsp

On Friday, Donald Trump took to Twitter and welcomed the historic meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.&nbsp

In a pair of tweets, Trump appeared optimistic that a summit would be fruitful as he eyed his own meeting with Kim, expected in the coming weeks.

"KOREAN WAR TO END! The United States and all of its GREAT people should be very proud of what is now taking place in Korea!" Trump said on Twitter.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
KOREAN WAR TO END! The United States, and all of its GREAT people, should be very proud of what is now taking place in Korea!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/989820401596366849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"Good things are happening, but only time will tell!" he added.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
After a furious year of missile launches and Nuclear testing, a historic meeting between North and South Korea is now taking place. Good things are happening, but only time will tell!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/989816772713906177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Kim and Moon earlier Friday pledged to work toward the "complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," and seek to declare an official end to the 1950s Korean War and establish a permanent peace agreement.

(With inputs from Reuters)&nbsp

Donald Trump also said that he would be meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in May or June

US President Donald Trump on Friday hoped that the Korean peninsula will witness peace someday. As Trump spoke to US athletes who participated in the Winter Olympics in South Korea he expressed hope that both sides "can someday live in harmony, prosperity and peace". "It looks like it could happen," he added. "When I began, people were saying that was an impossibility. They said there were two alternatives: Let them have what they have or go to war. And now we have a much better alternative than anybody thought even possible." Donald Trump also said that he would be meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in May or June with an aim to denuclearize the Korean peninsula. On Friday, Donald Trump took to Twitter and welcomed the historic meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. In a pair of tweets, Trump appeared optimistic that a summit would be fruitful as he eyed his own meeting with Kim, expected in the coming weeks. "KOREAN WAR TO END! The United States and all of its GREAT people should be very proud of what is now taking place in Korea!" Trump said on Twitter. KOREAN WAR TO END! The United States, and all of its GREAT people, should be very proud of what is now taking place in Korea! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 27, 2018 × "Good things are happening, but only time will tell!" he added. After a furious year of missile launches and Nuclear testing, a historic meeting between North and South Korea is now taking place. Good things are happening, but only time will tell! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 27, 2018 × Kim and Moon earlier Friday pledged to work toward the "complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," and seek to declare an official end to the 1950s Korean War and establish a permanent peace agreement. (With inputs from Reuters)

'Looks like it could happen': Trump hopes for peace on Korean peninsula

Friday's historic pledge by the leaders of the two Koreas to work to denuclearize the Korean peninsula should give US&nbsp;President Donald Trump a stronger hand to renegotiate the treaty curtailing Iran's nuclear program, Israel's intelligence minister said.

Yisrael Katz, who runs both the Intelligence and Transportation ministries, spoke in a Reuters interview after North Korea's Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to work for a "complete denuclearization" of the peninsula at a summit meeting in Seoul.

Such a development, should it come to fruition, could have a larger impact of minimizing the threat of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, Katz said.

The 2015 Iran Nuclear agreement, which Israel's government vehemently opposed, is in danger of unravelling should US&nbsp;President Donald Trump decide by May 12 to restore US economic sanctions against Iran.

Trump has called the accord the worst deal ever negotiated and threatened to reimpose the US penalties unless Britain, France and Germany can fix its "flaws." The deal lifted economic sanctions on Iran in return for curbing its nuclear programme.

"He (Trump) will have more power against Iran now and maybe to convince the European Union not to be the weak link in the coalition," Katz said.

"I think it will be very good if the North Koreans will finish and go out of the nuclear business and capabilities. It will also be good to our region, because there is a connection," he said.

Katz said the connection between Iran and North Korea pertains to missile technology.

"Yes, I think there is cooperation as it belongs to developing the ballistic missiles. And we have the evidence," he said.&nbsp;

"We have a lot of evidence," Katz added, shrugging his shoulders without elaborating.

Russia, China, Germany, Britain and France, which all struck the accord with Iran and the United States, see the deal as the best way to stop Iran from developing a nuclear bomb.

During his state visit earlier this week with Trump in Washington, French President Emmanuel Macron called for the US&nbsp;not to abandon the deal and said a new package of terms was being prepared with Britain and Germany.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel held a one-day working visit with Trump on Friday, where she was careful to praise Trump's progress on North Korea.

"I think that now we have to be very tough with Iran," said Katz, who wants to succeed Netanyahu as Israel's next prime minister.&nbsp;

Regional conflicts

While Iran's nuclear capabilities are curtailed for the time being, Katz reiterated that Israel would remain vigilant in seeking to curb Tehran's increased activities in Syria.

On April 9, an air strike killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps members at a Syrian base. Tehran blamed Israel and vowed unspecified retaliation, drawing Israeli counter-threats to broaden attacks on Iranian military assets in Syria.

The Israelis have said their strikes aim to prevent Iran’s garrison in Syria from entrenching itself deeper in support of President Bashar al-Assad and linking with Hezbollah in Lebanon to form a broad front against them.

"Iranians don't have to be in Syria. It is not to say we are going to attack every Iranian soldier in Syria, but bases, military bases, and munitions bases, and sophisticated missiles and other things like that? Yes," he said.

Russia, a key ally of Assad, has said it would provide advanced weapons to Syria. Israel is concerned that might include the S-300 surface-to-air missile system, which military analysts say would improve Russia's ability to control air space in Syria.

"They are talking about to supply advanced missiles, but they didn't say the words S-300," Katz said.

"Personally, it is hard for me to believe that Putin will give them the S-300," he said. "Because this is his main card that he is holding now in the discussions with Israel ... If he will give them the S-300, about what can he talk about with us afterward?"

The 2015 Iran Nuclear agreement, which Israel's government vehemently opposed, is in danger of unravelling should Trump decide by May 12 to restore US economic sanctions against Iran

Friday's historic pledge by the leaders of the two Koreas to work to denuclearize the Korean peninsula should give US President Donald Trump a stronger hand to renegotiate the treaty curtailing Iran's nuclear program, Israel's intelligence minister said. Yisrael Katz, who runs both the Intelligence and Transportation ministries, spoke in a Reuters interview after North Korea's Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to work for a "complete denuclearization" of the peninsula at a summit meeting in Seoul. Such a development, should it come to fruition, could have a larger impact of minimizing the threat of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, Katz said. The 2015 Iran Nuclear agreement, which Israel's government vehemently opposed, is in danger of unravelling should US President Donald Trump decide by May 12 to restore US economic sanctions against Iran. Trump has called the accord the worst deal ever negotiated and threatened to reimpose the US penalties unless Britain, France and Germany can fix its "flaws." The deal lifted economic sanctions on Iran in return for curbing its nuclear programme. "He (Trump) will have more power against Iran now and maybe to convince the European Union not to be the weak link in the coalition," Katz said. "I think it will be very good if the North Koreans will finish and go out of the nuclear business and capabilities. It will also be good to our region, because there is a connection," he said. Katz said the connection between Iran and North Korea pertains to missile technology. "Yes, I think there is cooperation as it belongs to developing the ballistic missiles. And we have the evidence," he said. "We have a lot of evidence," Katz added, shrugging his shoulders without elaborating. Russia, China, Germany, Britain and France, which all struck the accord with Iran and the United States, see the deal as the best way to stop Iran from developing a nuclear bomb. During his state visit earlier this week with Trump in Washington, French President Emmanuel Macron called for the US not to abandon the deal and said a new package of terms was being prepared with Britain and Germany. German Chancellor Angela Merkel held a one-day working visit with Trump on Friday, where she was careful to praise Trump's progress on North Korea. "I think that now we have to be very tough with Iran," said Katz, who wants to succeed Netanyahu as Israel's next prime minister. Regional conflicts While Iran's nuclear capabilities are curtailed for the time being, Katz reiterated that Israel would remain vigilant in seeking to curb Tehran's increased activities in Syria. On April 9, an air strike killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps members at a Syrian base. Tehran blamed Israel and vowed unspecified retaliation, drawing Israeli counter-threats to broaden attacks on Iranian military assets in Syria. The Israelis have said their strikes aim to prevent Iran’s garrison in Syria from entrenching itself deeper in support of President Bashar al-Assad and linking with Hezbollah in Lebanon to form a broad front against them. "Iranians don't have to be in Syria. It is not to say we are going to attack every Iranian soldier in Syria, but bases, military bases, and munitions bases, and sophisticated missiles and other things like that? Yes," he said. Russia, a key ally of Assad, has said it would provide advanced weapons to Syria. Israel is concerned that might include the S-300 surface-to-air missile system, which military analysts say would improve Russia's ability to control air space in Syria. "They are talking about to supply advanced missiles, but they didn't say the words S-300," Katz said. "Personally, it is hard for me to believe that Putin will give them the S-300," he said. "Because this is his main card that he is holding now in the discussions with Israel ... If he will give them the S-300, about what can he talk about with us afterward?"

Israel says 'denuclearized' Korean peninsula helpful versus Iran

World stocks rose on Friday, lifted by strong share price gains for tech giants such as Amazon and Facebook and growing hopes of a lasting peace on the Korean peninsula after a ground-breaking meeting of North and South Korean leaders.

European shares were set to end the week with a flourish too with a pan-European index set to post its fifth week of gains in a row, with the tech sector outperforming.

The latest gains are being partly spurred by forecast-beating first-quarter earnings from two of the so-called FANG tech stocks -- some of the world's largest and most influential companies by market capitalisation -- which has boosted sentiment on the technology sector worldwide.

Still, US&nbspstock futures pointed to a weaker open for Wall Street after Thursday's earnings-driven rally.

Amazon.com Inc shares jumped more than 6 per cent in after-market trading while Facebook surged 9.1 per cent on Thursday, calming worries about the fallout from its use of consumer data.

"Macroeconomic data has been soft in a number of key economies, so it is reassuring that amidst those concerns we are still seeing strong earnings numbers coming through from big ticket corporates such as Amazon and Facebook," said Investec economist Victoria Clarke.

"This is a good gauge of the broad drivers of sentiment particularly when there are those concerns about demand holding up in the face of weak economic data," Clarke added.

European tech shares rose 1 per cent to the highest in more than five weeks, buoyed also by gains in local IT and chipmaking firms such as Capgemini, ASML and Infineon.

Sterling slides

Sterling slumped to its lowest since March 9 against the dollar after data showed Britain's economy slowed much more sharply than expected in the first quarter of 2018, slashing market expectations of a Bank of England rate hike in May.

The currency was last down 1 per cent at $1.3770. It also fell 1 per cent against the euro to 87.85 pence and was on track for its worst day since November.

"A May rate hike is off the table now this pushes the hike back to August at the earliest and more likely November," said Jake Trask, a currencies analyst at OFX.

However, sterling's slide helped shares on Britain's FTSE index to rise 0.7 per cent with gains led by multi-national earners which earn a big chunk of their revenues overseas but report profits in pounds.

The weak data adds to concerns that economic growth across the developed world is running out of steam, especially after lacklustre euro zone figures earlier in the week and data on Friday showing French economic growth slowed more than expected in the first quarter.

The European Central Bank on Thursday played down concerns over softness in the euro zone economy as it sought to bolster expectations for a gradual withdrawal of monetary stimulus.

On Friday, Japan's central bank kept policy unchanged but ditched a time frame it had set for hitting its inflation target, in a surprise move analysts say is aimed at keeping market expectations for more stimulus in check.

"Within a 12 hour period it seems like the expectations are three key central banks will delay any tightening of monetary policy from what was previously expected... Equity markets should be comforted by that," said Bob Michele, CIO and head of global fixed income, currency and commodities at JPMorgan Asset Management.

Historic moment for Korea

South Korea's won led a rebound in emerging market currencies as comments from North Korea's Kim Jong Un of a "new history" between the two sides helped end a brutal week for emerging market currencies on a positive note.

North and South Korea agreed on Friday to pursue the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula" and work towards declaring an official end this year to the 1950s Korean war.

The won rose as much as 0.6 per cent against the dollar, while Asian stock markets also revelled in the glow of the summit between North and South Korea.

Seoul shares briefly rise more than 1 per cent to a one-month high, while MSCI's index of Asian shares outside Japan rallied 0.8 per cent and Japan's Nikkei share average rose 0.7 percent to two-month peaks.

The dollar meanwhile hit its highest since Jan. 12 against a basket of currencies, having benefited from the recent run in US&nbspTreasury yields -- 10-year yields hit 3 per cent this week for the first time since January 2014.

With a weekly gain of more than 1.5 per cent, the greenback is set for its best weekly performance since late 2016.

European shares were set to end the week with a flourish too with a pan-European index set to post its fifth week of gains in a row, with the tech sector outperforming

World stocks rose on Friday, lifted by strong share price gains for tech giants such as Amazon and Facebook and growing hopes of a lasting peace on the Korean peninsula after a ground-breaking meeting of North and South Korean leaders. European shares were set to end the week with a flourish too with a pan-European index set to post its fifth week of gains in a row, with the tech sector outperforming. The latest gains are being partly spurred by forecast-beating first-quarter earnings from two of the so-called FANG tech stocks -- some of the world's largest and most influential companies by market capitalisation -- which has boosted sentiment on the technology sector worldwide. Still, US&nbspstock futures pointed to a weaker open for Wall Street after Thursday's earnings-driven rally. Amazon.com Inc shares jumped more than 6 per cent in after-market trading while Facebook surged 9.1 per cent on Thursday, calming worries about the fallout from its use of consumer data. "Macroeconomic data has been soft in a number of key economies, so it is reassuring that amidst those concerns we are still seeing strong earnings numbers coming through from big ticket corporates such as Amazon and Facebook," said Investec economist Victoria Clarke. "This is a good gauge of the broad drivers of sentiment particularly when there are those concerns about demand holding up in the face of weak economic data," Clarke added. European tech shares rose 1 per cent to the highest in more than five weeks, buoyed also by gains in local IT and chipmaking firms such as Capgemini, ASML and Infineon. Sterling slides Sterling slumped to its lowest since March 9 against the dollar after data showed Britain's economy slowed much more sharply than expected in the first quarter of 2018, slashing market expectations of a Bank of England rate hike in May. The currency was last down 1 per cent at $1.3770. It also fell 1 per cent against the euro to 87.85 pence and was on track for its worst day since November. "A May rate hike is off the table now this pushes the hike back to August at the earliest and more likely November," said Jake Trask, a currencies analyst at OFX. However, sterling's slide helped shares on Britain's FTSE index to rise 0.7 per cent with gains led by multi-national earners which earn a big chunk of their revenues overseas but report profits in pounds. The weak data adds to concerns that economic growth across the developed world is running out of steam, especially after lacklustre euro zone figures earlier in the week and data on Friday showing French economic growth slowed more than expected in the first quarter. The European Central Bank on Thursday played down concerns over softness in the euro zone economy as it sought to bolster expectations for a gradual withdrawal of monetary stimulus. On Friday, Japan's central bank kept policy unchanged but ditched a time frame it had set for hitting its inflation target, in a surprise move analysts say is aimed at keeping market expectations for more stimulus in check. "Within a 12 hour period it seems like the expectations are three key central banks will delay any tightening of monetary policy from what was previously expected... Equity markets should be comforted by that," said Bob Michele, CIO and head of global fixed income, currency and commodities at JPMorgan Asset Management. Historic moment for Korea South Korea's won led a rebound in emerging market currencies as comments from North Korea's Kim Jong Un of a "new history" between the two sides helped end a brutal week for emerging market currencies on a positive note. North and South Korea agreed on Friday to pursue the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula" and work towards declaring an official end this year to the 1950s Korean war. The won rose as much as 0.6 per cent against the dollar, while Asian stock markets also revelled in the glow of the summit between North and South Korea. Seoul shares briefly rise more than 1 per cent to a one-month high, while MSCI's index of Asian shares outside Japan rallied 0.8 per cent and Japan's Nikkei share average rose 0.7 percent to two-month peaks. The dollar meanwhile hit its highest since Jan. 12 against a basket of currencies, having benefited from the recent run in US&nbspTreasury yields -- 10-year yields hit 3 per cent this week for the first time since January 2014. With a weekly gain of more than 1.5 per cent, the greenback is set for its best weekly performance since late 2016.

Tech gains, Korean talks lift world stock markets; sterling tumbles 

Below is the full joint statement by North and South Korea released by the South Korean presidential office on Friday after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in pledged to work for the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula". It punctuated a day of smiles and handshakes at the first inter-Korean summit in more than a decade.

During this momentous period of historical transformation on the Korean Peninsula, reflecting the enduring aspiration of the Korean people for peace, prosperity and unification, President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea held an Inter-Korean Summit Meeting at the ‘Peace House’ at Panmunjom on April 27, 2018.

The two leaders solemnly declared before the 80 million Korean people and the whole world that there will be no more war on the Korean Peninsula and thus a new era of peace has begun.

The two leaders, sharing the firm commitment to bring a swift a swift end to the Cold War relic of longstanding division and confrontation, to boldly approach a new era of national reconciliation, peace and prosperity, and to improve and cultivate inter-Korean relations in a more active manner, declared at this historic site of Panmunjom as follows:

1. South and North Korea will reconnect the blood relations of the people and bring forward the future of co-prosperity and unification led by Koreans by facilitating comprehensive and groundbreaking advancement in inter-Korean relations. Improving and cultivating inter-Korean relations is the prevalent desire of the whole nation and the urgent calling of the times that cannot be held back any further.

1) South and North Korea affirmed the principle of determining the destiny of the Korean nation on their own accord and agreed to bring forth the watershed moment for the improvement of inter-Korean relations by fully implementing all existing agreements and declarations adopted between the two sides thus far.

2) South and North Korea agreed to hold dialogue and negotiations in various fields including at high level, and to take active measures for the implementation of the agreements reached at the Summit.

3) South and North Korea agreed to establish a joint liaison office with resident representatives of both sides in the Gaeseong region in order to facilitate close consultation between the authorities as well as smooth exchanges and cooperation between the peoples.

4) South and North Korea agreed to encourage more active cooperation, exchanges, visits and contacts at all levels in order to rejuvenate the sense of national reconciliation and unity. Between South and North, the two sides will encourage the atmosphere of amity and cooperation by actively staging various joint events on the dates that hold special meaning for both South and North Korea, such as June 15, in which participants from all levels, including central and local governments, parliaments, political parties, and civil organizations, will be involved. On the international front, the two sides agreed to demonstrate their collective wisdom, talents, and solidarity by jointly participating in international sports events such as the 2018 Asian Games.

5) South and North Korea agreed to endeavor to swiftly resolve the humanitarian issues that resulted from the division of the nation, and to convene the Inter-Korean Red Cross Meeting to discuss and solve various issues including the reunion of separated families. In this vein, South and North Korea agreed to proceed with reunion programs for the separated families on the occasion of the National Liberation Day of August 15 this year.

6) South and North Korea agreed to actively implement the projects previously agreed in the 2007 October 4 Declaration, in order to promote balanced economic growth and co-prosperity of the nation. As a first step, the two sides agreed to adopt practical steps towards the connection and modernization of the railways and roads on the eastern transportation corridor as well as between Seoul and Sinuiju for their utilization.

2. South and North Korea will make joint efforts to alleviate the acute military tension and practically eliminate the danger of war on the Korean Peninsula.

1) South and North Korea agreed to completely cease all hostile acts against each other in every domain, including land, air and sea, that are the source of military tension and conflict. In this vein, the two sides agreed to transform the demilitarized zone into a peace zone in a genuine sense by ceasing as of May 2 this year all hostile acts and eliminating their means, including broadcasting through loudspeakers and distribution of leaflets, in the areas along the Military Demarcation Line.

2) South and North Korea agreed to devise a practical scheme to turn the areas around the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea into a maritime peace zone in order to prevent accidental military clashes and guarantee safe fishing activities.

3) South and North Korea agreed to take various military measures to ensure active mutual cooperation, exchanges, visits and contacts. The two sides agreed to hold frequent meetings between military authorities, including the defense Ministers Meeting, in order to immediately discuss and solve military issues that arise between them. In this regard, the two sides agreed to first convene military talks at the rank of general in May.

3. South and North Korea will actively cooperate to establish a permanent and solid peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. Bringing an end to the current unnatural state of armistice and establishing a robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula is a historical mission that must not be delayed any further.

1) South and North Korea reaffirmed the Non-Aggression Agreement that precludes the use of force in any form against each other, and agreed to strictly adhere to this Agreement.

2) South and North Korea agreed to carry out disarmament in a phased manner, as military tension is alleviated and substantial progress is made in military confidence-building.

3) During this year that marks the 65th anniversary of the Armistice, South and North Korea agreed to actively pursue trilateral meetings involving the two Koreas and the United States, or quadrilateral meetings involving the two Koreas, the United States and China with a view to declaring an end to the war and establishing a permanent and solid peace regime.

4) South and North Korea confirmed the common goal of realizing, through complete denuclearisation, a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. South and North Korea shared the view that the measures being initiated by North Korea are very meaningful and crucial for the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and agreed to carry out their respective roles and responsibilities in this regard. South and North Korea agreed to actively seek the support and cooperation of the international community for the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

The two leaders agreed, through regular meetings and direct telephone conversations, to hold frequent and candid discussions on issues vital to the nation, to strengthen mutual trust and to jointly endeavor to strengthen the positive momentum towards continuous advancement of inter-Korean relations as well as peace, prosperity and unification of the Korean Peninsula.

In this context, President Moon Jae-in agreed to visit Pyongyang this fall.

April 27, 2018

Done in Panmunjom

Moon Jae-in

President

Republic of Korea

Kim Jong Un

Chairman

State Affairs Commission

Democratic People's

Republic of Korea

The two leaders solemnly declared before the 80 million Korean people and the whole world that there will be no more war on the Korean Peninsula and thus a new era of peace has begun.

Below is the full joint statement by North and South Korea released by the South Korean presidential office on Friday after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in pledged to work for the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula". It punctuated a day of smiles and handshakes at the first inter-Korean summit in more than a decade. During this momentous period of historical transformation on the Korean Peninsula, reflecting the enduring aspiration of the Korean people for peace, prosperity and unification, President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea held an Inter-Korean Summit Meeting at the ‘Peace House’ at Panmunjom on April 27, 2018. The two leaders solemnly declared before the 80 million Korean people and the whole world that there will be no more war on the Korean Peninsula and thus a new era of peace has begun. The two leaders, sharing the firm commitment to bring a swift a swift end to the Cold War relic of longstanding division and confrontation, to boldly approach a new era of national reconciliation, peace and prosperity, and to improve and cultivate inter-Korean relations in a more active manner, declared at this historic site of Panmunjom as follows: 1. South and North Korea will reconnect the blood relations of the people and bring forward the future of co-prosperity and unification led by Koreans by facilitating comprehensive and groundbreaking advancement in inter-Korean relations. Improving and cultivating inter-Korean relations is the prevalent desire of the whole nation and the urgent calling of the times that cannot be held back any further. 1) South and North Korea affirmed the principle of determining the destiny of the Korean nation on their own accord and agreed to bring forth the watershed moment for the improvement of inter-Korean relations by fully implementing all existing agreements and declarations adopted between the two sides thus far. 2) South and North Korea agreed to hold dialogue and negotiations in various fields including at high level, and to take active measures for the implementation of the agreements reached at the Summit. 3) South and North Korea agreed to establish a joint liaison office with resident representatives of both sides in the Gaeseong region in order to facilitate close consultation between the authorities as well as smooth exchanges and cooperation between the peoples. 4) South and North Korea agreed to encourage more active cooperation, exchanges, visits and contacts at all levels in order to rejuvenate the sense of national reconciliation and unity. Between South and North, the two sides will encourage the atmosphere of amity and cooperation by actively staging various joint events on the dates that hold special meaning for both South and North Korea, such as June 15, in which participants from all levels, including central and local governments, parliaments, political parties, and civil organizations, will be involved. On the international front, the two sides agreed to demonstrate their collective wisdom, talents, and solidarity by jointly participating in international sports events such as the 2018 Asian Games. 5) South and North Korea agreed to endeavor to swiftly resolve the humanitarian issues that resulted from the division of the nation, and to convene the Inter-Korean Red Cross Meeting to discuss and solve various issues including the reunion of separated families. In this vein, South and North Korea agreed to proceed with reunion programs for the separated families on the occasion of the National Liberation Day of August 15 this year. 6) South and North Korea agreed to actively implement the projects previously agreed in the 2007 October 4 Declaration, in order to promote balanced economic growth and co-prosperity of the nation. As a first step, the two sides agreed to adopt practical steps towards the connection and modernization of the railways and roads on the eastern transportation corridor as well as between Seoul and Sinuiju for their utilization. 2. South and North Korea will make joint efforts to alleviate the acute military tension and practically eliminate the danger of war on the Korean Peninsula. 1) South and North Korea agreed to completely cease all hostile acts against each other in every domain, including land, air and sea, that are the source of military tension and conflict. In this vein, the two sides agreed to transform the demilitarized zone into a peace zone in a genuine sense by ceasing as of May 2 this year all hostile acts and eliminating their means, including broadcasting through loudspeakers and distribution of leaflets, in the areas along the Military Demarcation Line. 2) South and North Korea agreed to devise a practical scheme to turn the areas around the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea into a maritime peace zone in order to prevent accidental military clashes and guarantee safe fishing activities. 3) South and North Korea agreed to take various military measures to ensure active mutual cooperation, exchanges, visits and contacts. The two sides agreed to hold frequent meetings between military authorities, including the defense Ministers Meeting, in order to immediately discuss and solve military issues that arise between them. In this regard, the two sides agreed to first convene military talks at the rank of general in May. 3. South and North Korea will actively cooperate to establish a permanent and solid peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. Bringing an end to the current unnatural state of armistice and establishing a robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula is a historical mission that must not be delayed any further. 1) South and North Korea reaffirmed the Non-Aggression Agreement that precludes the use of force in any form against each other, and agreed to strictly adhere to this Agreement. 2) South and North Korea agreed to carry out disarmament in a phased manner, as military tension is alleviated and substantial progress is made in military confidence-building. 3) During this year that marks the 65th anniversary of the Armistice, South and North Korea agreed to actively pursue trilateral meetings involving the two Koreas and the United States, or quadrilateral meetings involving the two Koreas, the United States and China with a view to declaring an end to the war and establishing a permanent and solid peace regime. 4) South and North Korea confirmed the common goal of realizing, through complete denuclearisation, a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. South and North Korea shared the view that the measures being initiated by North Korea are very meaningful and crucial for the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and agreed to carry out their respective roles and responsibilities in this regard. South and North Korea agreed to actively seek the support and cooperation of the international community for the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. The two leaders agreed, through regular meetings and direct telephone conversations, to hold frequent and candid discussions on issues vital to the nation, to strengthen mutual trust and to jointly endeavor to strengthen the positive momentum towards continuous advancement of inter-Korean relations as well as peace, prosperity and unification of the Korean Peninsula. In this context, President Moon Jae-in agreed to visit Pyongyang this fall. April 27, 2018 Done in Panmunjom Moon Jae-in President Republic of Korea Kim Jong Un Chairman State Affairs Commission Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Full statement: Panmunjom declaration for peace, prosperity and unification of the Korean peninsula

By&nbsp;Nicholas John Wheeler*,&nbsp;Marcus Holmes**

President Donald Trump&rsquo;s recent announcement that he would meet with Kim Jong-un, leader of the Democratic People&rsquo;s Republic of Korea (DPRK), took the world by surprise. Never before has a sitting US president met with his North Korean counterpart.

The potential consequences of a meeting depend upon your point of view.

Either Trump has walked into a carefully laid trap laid by Kim, in which the North Korean leader will pocket this great concession on the part of his US counterpart and Trump will leave the summit with nothing to show for his bold and impulsive gamble. Or, the US leader has made a bold and daring move that opens the door to the possibility of transforming the conflict on the Korean peninsula &ndash; a conflict frozen in stone since the end of the Korean War in 1953.

The reality will depend on the expectations heaped upon the summit &ndash; and a recognition that the personal chemistry of leaders can sometimes lead to the most surprising of diplomatic breakthroughs. A promise of full denuclearisation is unlikely, but a first step towards reassurance and a meeting that signals both Kim and Trump&rsquo;s peaceful intentions is possible.&nbsp;

Prize of recognition

In agreeing to hold a summit with the North Korean leader, Trump has given Kim the great prize of diplomatic normalisation and legitimacy, sought by his predecessors. This was denied them by presidents George W. Bush and Obama, who saw a summit as a reward that had to be earned by the North Koreans after they had taken concrete and verifiable steps towards nuclear disarmament.

Some have suggested that Kim has already &ldquo;won&rdquo;: even if nothing comes out of the summit, the DPRK will be treated as an equal. The &ldquo;supreme leader&rdquo; of North Korea is dangling the juicy carrot of ultimate denuclearisation in the way his father and grandfather did, but like them, he has made any such disarmament conditional on security guarantees.

The question remains whether there is a non-nuclear path to North Korea&rsquo;s security that is acceptable to its leader. This was an issue that bedevilled, and ultimately derailed, the &ldquo;six party talks&rdquo; of the 2000s. If the North Korean leadership believes all that stands between it and US-led regime change is the DPRK&rsquo;s possession of nuclear weapons, then it would be unwise to stake the success of the summit on how far it achieves the goal of denuclearisation. The fates of Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Muammar Gaddafi in Libya are clear reminders of what happens to leaders who decide to give up nuclear weapons.

But the litmus test of success for the summit should not be judged in terms of whether it achieves an agreement on the DPRK&rsquo;s denuclearisation. Instead, its success should be judged in terms of how far it promotes reassurance between the two leaders that each is committed to achieving a de-escalation of the conflict that recognises the other has legitimate security concerns.&nbsp;

Reagan and Gorbachev: building trust

As we argue in our recent research, face-to-face interaction at the highest levels of diplomacy opens up new possibilities for two leaders to gain a better understanding of each other&rsquo;s intentions, and even to develop a personal relationship of trust. The most successful case of this kind of interpersonal trust-building and reassurance was the diplomatic summitry between US and Soviet leaders Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev.&nbsp;

To be sure, Trump is not Reagan and Kim is no Mikhail Gorbachev. As critics have pointed out, the level of diplomatic preparation at lower levels, as well as the absence of a history of summits between the two parties makes for an imperfect analogy. However, the basic lesson of the Geneva Summit in November 1985 between Reagan and Gorbachev is nevertheless useful.

Its aims were relatively modest: both sides sought and reached agreement that a nuclear war cannot be won, and must never be fought. But what was equally important and ultimately transformational to ending US-Soviet enmity was the personal bond that developed between Reagan and Gorbachev, and the trust that this made possible between these two leaders of formerly enemy states.

If a summit between Trump and Kim could begin a similar process of bonding and trust formation, where each leader recognised that the only security between their two countries was mutual security, then it really could be a game-changer in de-escalating tension on the Korean peninsula. In the end, the lesson of the Reagan-Gorbachev encounters is that neither leader should go into a summit believing that they know what the other&rsquo;s bottom line is. The whole point of face-to-face diplomacy is to try and reshape each side&rsquo;s understanding of the other&rsquo;s intentions in ways that promote trust and mutual security.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

*Nicholas John Wheeler is a professor of International Relations Director of the The Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security.&nbsp; 
**Marcus Holmes is an assistant professor of Government, College of William &amp; Mary.&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

The basic lesson of the Geneva Summit in November 1985 between Reagan and Gorbachev is nevertheless useful. It needs to be assured that Trump is not Reagan and Kim is no Mikhail Gorbachev.

By Nicholas John Wheeler*, Marcus Holmes** President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that he would meet with Kim Jong-un, leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), took the world by surprise. Never before has a sitting US president met with his North Korean counterpart. The potential consequences of a meeting depend upon your point of view. Either Trump has walked into a carefully laid trap laid by Kim, in which the North Korean leader will pocket this great concession on the part of his US counterpart and Trump will leave the summit with nothing to show for his bold and impulsive gamble. Or, the US leader has made a bold and daring move that opens the door to the possibility of transforming the conflict on the Korean peninsula – a conflict frozen in stone since the end of the Korean War in 1953. The reality will depend on the expectations heaped upon the summit – and a recognition that the personal chemistry of leaders can sometimes lead to the most surprising of diplomatic breakthroughs. A promise of full denuclearisation is unlikely, but a first step towards reassurance and a meeting that signals both Kim and Trump’s peaceful intentions is possible. Prize of recognition In agreeing to hold a summit with the North Korean leader, Trump has given Kim the great prize of diplomatic normalisation and legitimacy, sought by his predecessors. This was denied them by presidents George W. Bush and Obama, who saw a summit as a reward that had to be earned by the North Koreans after they had taken concrete and verifiable steps towards nuclear disarmament. Some have suggested that Kim has already “won”: even if nothing comes out of the summit, the DPRK will be treated as an equal. The “supreme leader” of North Korea is dangling the juicy carrot of ultimate denuclearisation in the way his father and grandfather did, but like them, he has made any such disarmament conditional on security guarantees. The question remains whether there is a non-nuclear path to North Korea’s security that is acceptable to its leader. This was an issue that bedevilled, and ultimately derailed, the “six party talks” of the 2000s. If the North Korean leadership believes all that stands between it and US-led regime change is the DPRK’s possession of nuclear weapons, then it would be unwise to stake the success of the summit on how far it achieves the goal of denuclearisation. The fates of Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Muammar Gaddafi in Libya are clear reminders of what happens to leaders who decide to give up nuclear weapons. But the litmus test of success for the summit should not be judged in terms of whether it achieves an agreement on the DPRK’s denuclearisation. Instead, its success should be judged in terms of how far it promotes reassurance between the two leaders that each is committed to achieving a de-escalation of the conflict that recognises the other has legitimate security concerns. Reagan and Gorbachev: building trust As we argue in our recent research, face-to-face interaction at the highest levels of diplomacy opens up new possibilities for two leaders to gain a better understanding of each other’s intentions, and even to develop a personal relationship of trust. The most successful case of this kind of interpersonal trust-building and reassurance was the diplomatic summitry between US and Soviet leaders Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. To be sure, Trump is not Reagan and Kim is no Mikhail Gorbachev. As critics have pointed out, the level of diplomatic preparation at lower levels, as well as the absence of a history of summits between the two parties makes for an imperfect analogy. However, the basic lesson of the Geneva Summit in November 1985 between Reagan and Gorbachev is nevertheless useful. Its aims were relatively modest: both sides sought and reached agreement that a nuclear war cannot be won, and must never be fought. But what was equally important and ultimately transformational to ending US-Soviet enmity was the personal bond that developed between Reagan and Gorbachev, and the trust that this made possible between these two leaders of formerly enemy states. If a summit between Trump and Kim could begin a similar process of bonding and trust formation, where each leader recognised that the only security between their two countries was mutual security, then it really could be a game-changer in de-escalating tension on the Korean peninsula. In the end, the lesson of the Reagan-Gorbachev encounters is that neither leader should go into a summit believing that they know what the other’s bottom line is. The whole point of face-to-face diplomacy is to try and reshape each side’s understanding of the other’s intentions in ways that promote trust and mutual security. *Nicholas John Wheeler is a professor of International Relations Director of the The Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security. **Marcus Holmes is an assistant professor of Government, College of William & Mary. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Lessons for Trump-Kim summit from Reagan, Gorbachev over denuclearisation

North Korea said on Saturday that U.S. President Donald Trump&#39;s first trip to Asia showed he was a &quot;destroyer&quot; and he had begged for war on the Korean peninsula.

The North&#39;s state-run television KRT also said the Trump&#39;s current trip was &quot;nothing more than a war-dealer&#39;s business of taking money from its allies&#39; pockets&quot;, quoting a statement released by its foreign ministry.

The outburst came as Trump nears the tail end of his sweep through Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines that has seen him rail against the North`s nuclear ambitions and deliver his &quot;America First&quot; vision of global trade.

Trump has urged the region to take a united front against the threat posed by isolated North Korea, which has sparked global alarm with its nuclear and missile tests in recent months.

On Friday he warned world leaders gathered in the Vietnamese resort city of Danang that the Asia-Pacific region &quot;must not be held hostage to a dictator`s twisted fantasies&quot;.

Tensions over the North`s weapons programme have surged in recent months, as Pyongyang carried out a sixth nuclear test -- by far its largest to date -- and test fired dozens of missiles, some capable of reaching the US mainland.

 
In a speech to the South Korean parliament on Wednesday, Trump warned Pyongyang not to underestimate the United States, while offering leader Kim Jong-Un a better future if he gives up his nuclear ambitions.

Trump has also prodded Chinese President Xi Jinping to pile pressure on North Korea.&nbsp;

&quot;I`d like to have him ratchet it up, and I think he`s doing that,&quot; Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Hanoi Saturday following a regional trade meeting in the coastal city of Danang.&nbsp;

Though China has backed UN sanctions, Washington would like to see Beijing clamp down on unauthorised trade along the North Korean border.

(Agencies)

The North Korean spokesman said nothing would deter Pyongyang from pursuing its nuclear weapons programme.

North Korea said on Saturday that U.S. President Donald Trump's first trip to Asia showed he was a "destroyer" and he had begged for war on the Korean peninsula. The North's state-run television KRT also said the Trump's current trip was "nothing more than a war-dealer's business of taking money from its allies' pockets", quoting a statement released by its foreign ministry. The outburst came as Trump nears the tail end of his sweep through Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines that has seen him rail against the North`s nuclear ambitions and deliver his "America First" vision of global trade. Trump has urged the region to take a united front against the threat posed by isolated North Korea, which has sparked global alarm with its nuclear and missile tests in recent months. On Friday he warned world leaders gathered in the Vietnamese resort city of Danang that the Asia-Pacific region "must not be held hostage to a dictator`s twisted fantasies". Tensions over the North`s weapons programme have surged in recent months, as Pyongyang carried out a sixth nuclear test -- by far its largest to date -- and test fired dozens of missiles, some capable of reaching the US mainland. In a speech to the South Korean parliament on Wednesday, Trump warned Pyongyang not to underestimate the United States, while offering leader Kim Jong-Un a better future if he gives up his nuclear ambitions. Trump has also prodded Chinese President Xi Jinping to pile pressure on North Korea. "I`d like to have him ratchet it up, and I think he`s doing that," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Hanoi Saturday following a regional trade meeting in the coastal city of Danang. Though China has backed UN sanctions, Washington would like to see Beijing clamp down on unauthorised trade along the North Korean border. (Agencies)

Trump begged for a war during his Asia trip: North Korea

North Korea slammed US President Donald Trump as &quot;incurably mentally deranged&quot; in a personal diatribe ahead of his first visit to Asia as head of state, amid high tensions over Pyongyang&#39;s nuclear ambitions.

Trump and the North&#39;s leader Kim Jong-Un have traded threats of war and personal insults against each other in recent months, heightening worries about a potential conflict on the divided Korean peninsula.

Trump has warned of &quot;fire and fury&quot; and &quot;calm before the storm&quot;, telling the UN General Assembly that Washington would &quot;totally destroy North Korea&quot; if it had to defend itself or its allies.

He dubbed Kim &quot;Rocket Man&quot; in the same speech -&nbsp;Pyongyang has tested missiles apparently capable of reaching much of the US mainland -&nbsp;and days later Kim responded with a personal statement calling Trump a &quot;dotard&quot;, an obscure term for a weak or senile old man.

The US president is due in Asia at the weekend and ahead of his arrival the North&#39;s state-run KCNA news agency lashed out at &quot;bellicose and irresponsible rhetoric&quot; by the &quot;master of invective&quot;.

&quot;He absolutely needs medicine for curing his psychical disorder,&quot; it said.

The US has deployed key military assets including jet fighters and aircraft carriers near the peninsula following the North&#39;s sixth nuclear test in September, which also saw the United Nations impose an eighth set of sanctions on the isolated country.

KCNA described the sanctions drive as &quot;desperate efforts&quot; that would prove ineffective and Trump&#39;s hostile rhetoric as &quot;hysteric spasmodic symptoms&quot;.

Trump, it said late yesterday, &quot;disclosed his true nature as a nuclear war maniac before the world and was diagnosed as &#39;incurably mentally deranged&#39;&quot;.

Trump&#39;s itinerary includes Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines, with all eyes on his message to the North and Kim.

Pyongyang says it needs nuclear weapons to defend itself against possible invasion by the US.

During a November 7-8 visit to the South -&nbsp;a security ally of Washington that hosts 28,500 US troops - Trump is due to address Seoul&#39;s parliament and visit a US military base, although he will not go to the Demilitarised Zone that divides the Koreas.

Trump and the North's leader Kim Jong-Un have traded threats of war and personal insults against each other in recent months, heightening worries about a potential conflict on the divided Korean peninsula.

North Korea slammed US President Donald Trump as "incurably mentally deranged" in a personal diatribe ahead of his first visit to Asia as head of state, amid high tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. Trump and the North's leader Kim Jong-Un have traded threats of war and personal insults against each other in recent months, heightening worries about a potential conflict on the divided Korean peninsula. Trump has warned of "fire and fury" and "calm before the storm", telling the UN General Assembly that Washington would "totally destroy North Korea" if it had to defend itself or its allies. He dubbed Kim "Rocket Man" in the same speech - Pyongyang has tested missiles apparently capable of reaching much of the US mainland - and days later Kim responded with a personal statement calling Trump a "dotard", an obscure term for a weak or senile old man. The US president is due in Asia at the weekend and ahead of his arrival the North's state-run KCNA news agency lashed out at "bellicose and irresponsible rhetoric" by the "master of invective". "He absolutely needs medicine for curing his psychical disorder," it said. The US has deployed key military assets including jet fighters and aircraft carriers near the peninsula following the North's sixth nuclear test in September, which also saw the United Nations impose an eighth set of sanctions on the isolated country. KCNA described the sanctions drive as "desperate efforts" that would prove ineffective and Trump's hostile rhetoric as "hysteric spasmodic symptoms". Trump, it said late yesterday, "disclosed his true nature as a nuclear war maniac before the world and was diagnosed as 'incurably mentally deranged'". Trump's itinerary includes Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines, with all eyes on his message to the North and Kim. Pyongyang says it needs nuclear weapons to defend itself against possible invasion by the US. During a November 7-8 visit to the South - a security ally of Washington that hosts 28,500 US troops - Trump is due to address Seoul's parliament and visit a US military base, although he will not go to the Demilitarised Zone that divides the Koreas.

North Korea slams 'incurably mentally deranged' Trump

Washington`s goal &quot;is not war&quot; as it seeks to ease high military tension with Pyongyang, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-china-plan-to-act-together-against-dangerous-north-korea-13536">US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis </a>said Friday, standing at the heavily-fortified border between the two Koreas.

Tension has flared on the Korean peninsula as US President Donald Trump and the North`s ruler Kim Jong-Un have traded threats of war and personal insults that sparked global alarm.

But Mattis, who visited the tense Demilitarised Zone during a trip to South Korea, said the US was committed to a &quot;diplomatic solution&quot;.

&quot;As the US Secretary of State Tillerson made clear, our goal is not war but rather the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula,&quot; he said in the truce village of Panmunjom.

Mattis also stressed he and his South Korean counterpart Song Young-Moo had &quot;made clear our mutual commitment to a diplomatic solution to address North Korea`s reckless, outlaw behaviour&quot;.

The remark came a day after Mattis had said Washington was &quot;not rushing to war&quot; and was looking for a &quot;peaceful resolution&quot;.

He is set to hold annual defence talks with Song on Saturday during the two-day trip, which comes ahead of a planned trip by Trump to the South -- a key US ally in Asia -- next month.

Trump is set to visit Seoul from November 7 to 8 with all eyes on his message to the North and Kim.&nbsp;

The isolated North carried out its sixth nuclear test last month and has launched several missiles in recent months potentially capable of reaching the mainland of its &quot;imperialist enemy&quot; the US.&nbsp;

The moves staged in violation of UN resolutions banning the North from any use of atomic and ballistic technology, prompted new US-led UN sanctions against the impoverished state.&nbsp;

Pyongyang reacted angrily to new sanctions, and Trump`s recent remark that &quot;only one thing will work&quot; with the North fuelled concerns of a potential conflict.

But even some Trump advisers say US military options are limited when Pyongyang could launch an artillery barrage on the South Korean capital Seoul -- only around 50 kilometres from the border and home to 10 million people. 
The North says its atomic weapons are &quot;treasured sword&quot; to protect itself from potential invasion by the US.

"As the US Secretary of State Tillerson made clear, our goal is not war but rather the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula," Mattis said in the truce village of Panmunjom.

Washington`s goal "is not war" as it seeks to ease high military tension with Pyongyang, US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said Friday, standing at the heavily-fortified border between the two Koreas. Tension has flared on the Korean peninsula as US President Donald Trump and the North`s ruler Kim Jong-Un have traded threats of war and personal insults that sparked global alarm. But Mattis, who visited the tense Demilitarised Zone during a trip to South Korea, said the US was committed to a "diplomatic solution". "As the US Secretary of State Tillerson made clear, our goal is not war but rather the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula," he said in the truce village of Panmunjom. Mattis also stressed he and his South Korean counterpart Song Young-Moo had "made clear our mutual commitment to a diplomatic solution to address North Korea`s reckless, outlaw behaviour". The remark came a day after Mattis had said Washington was "not rushing to war" and was looking for a "peaceful resolution". He is set to hold annual defence talks with Song on Saturday during the two-day trip, which comes ahead of a planned trip by Trump to the South -- a key US ally in Asia -- next month. Trump is set to visit Seoul from November 7 to 8 with all eyes on his message to the North and Kim. The isolated North carried out its sixth nuclear test last month and has launched several missiles in recent months potentially capable of reaching the mainland of its "imperialist enemy" the US. The moves staged in violation of UN resolutions banning the North from any use of atomic and ballistic technology, prompted new US-led UN sanctions against the impoverished state. Pyongyang reacted angrily to new sanctions, and Trump`s recent remark that "only one thing will work" with the North fuelled concerns of a potential conflict. But even some Trump advisers say US military options are limited when Pyongyang could launch an artillery barrage on the South Korean capital Seoul -- only around 50 kilometres from the border and home to 10 million people. The North says its atomic weapons are "treasured sword" to protect itself from potential invasion by the US.

Our goal is not war but denuclearisation of Korean peninsula: Jim Mattis

South Korean and Japanese jets joined exercises with two supersonic US&nbsp;B-1B bombers above and near the Korean peninsula on Thursday, two days after North Korea fired a missile over Japan, sharply raising tension.

The drills, involving four U.S. stealth F-35B jets as well as South Korean and Japanese fighter jets, came at the end of annual joint US-South Korea military exercises focused mainly on computer simulations.

&quot;North Korea&#39;s actions are a threat to our allies, partners and homeland, and their destabilizing actions will be met accordingly,&quot;&nbsp;said General Terrence J&nbsp;O&#39;Shaughnessy, Pacific Air Forces commander, who made an unscheduled visit to Japan.

&quot;This complex mission clearly demonstrates our solidarity with our allies and underscores the broadening cooperation to defend against this common regional threat. Our forward deployed force will be the first to the fight, ready to deliver a lethal response at a moment&rsquo;s notice if our nation calls.&quot;

North Korea has made no secret of its intention to develop the knowhow to launch a nuclear-tipped missile at the United States and has recently threatened the US Pacific territory of Guam. It denounced the US&nbsp;exercises in traditionally robust fashion.

&quot;The US&nbsp;imperialists and the south Korean puppet forces do not hide their bellicose nature, claiming that the exercises are to &quot;counter&quot;&nbsp;the DPRK&#39;s ballistic rocket launches and nuclear weapons development,&quot; the North&#39;s KCNA news agency said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People&#39;s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

&quot;But the wild military acts of the enemies are nothing but the rash act of those taken aback by the intermediate-to-long range strategic ballistic rocket launching drill conducted by the army of the DPRK as the first military operation in the Pacific.&quot;

US President Donald Trump has warned North Korea it would face &quot;fire and fury&quot; if it threatened the United States and that the US&nbsp;military was &quot;locked and loaded&quot; in case of any provocation.

Trump on Wednesday declared &quot;talking is not the answer&quot; to resolving the long-standing impasse.

&quot;The US&nbsp;has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years,&quot; Trump, who last week said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was &quot;starting to respect&quot; the United States, wrote on Twitter.

&quot;Talking is not the answer!&quot;

However, US&nbsp;Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, when asked by reporters just hours later if the United States had run out of diplomatic solutions with North Korea, replied: &quot;No.&quot;

&quot;We are never out of diplomatic solutions,&quot; Mattis said before a meeting with his South Korean counterpart at the Pentagon. &quot;We continue to work together, and the minister and I share a responsibility to provide for the protection of our nations, our populations and our interests.&quot;

Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera spoke to Mattis by telephone and agreed to keep putting pressure on North Korea in a &quot;visible&quot; form, Japan&#39;s defence ministry said. Japanese Prime Shinzo Abe said he and visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May agreed to urge China, North Korea&#39;s lone major ally, to do more to rein in the North.

They also discussed the possibility of adopting a new UN&nbsp;Security Council resolution over North Korea, a British government source said.

The 15-member Security Council on Tuesday condemned the firing of an intermediate range ballistic missile over Japan as &quot;outrageous&quot; and demanded that North Korea halt its weapons programme, but the U.S.-drafted statement did not threaten new sanctions.

Japan was pushing the United States to propose new UN&nbsp;Security Council sanctions, which diplomats said could target North Korea&#39;s labourers working abroad, oil supply and textile exports.

Diplomats expected resistance from Russia and fellow veto-wielding power China, particularly given new measures were only recently imposed after North Korea staged two long-range missile launches in July.

A US&nbsp;ban on travel to North Korea comes into effect on Friday, curbing one of its few remaining supplies of foreign currency.

China again urged restraint from all parties.

Defence ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang told a monthly briefing that China would never allow war or chaos on the Korean peninsula, its doorstep, and military means were not an option.

&quot;China strongly demands all sides to exercise restraint and remain calm and not do anything to worsen tensions,&quot; Ren said, adding that Chinese forces were maintaining a normal state of alert along the North Korean border.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the situation on the peninsula was serious.

&quot;I also want to stress that the current tense situation on the peninsula isn&#39;t a screenplay or a video game,&quot; she told reporters.

&quot;It&#39;s real, and is an immense and serious issue that directly involves the safety of people from both the north and south of the peninsula, as well as peace and stability of the entire region.&quot;

The Pentagon&#39;s Missile Defense Agency and the crew of the guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones conducted a &quot;complex missile defence flight test&quot; off Hawaii on Wednesday, resulting in the intercept of a medium-range ballistic missile target, the agency said.

The agency&#39;s director, Lieutenant General Sam Greaves, called the test &quot;a key milestone&quot; in giving U.S. Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense ships an enhanced capability, but did not mention North Korea.

The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

North Korea routinely says it will never give up its weapons programmes, calling them necessary to counter perceived American hostility. 
&nbsp;

South Korean and Japanese jets joined exercises with two supersonic US?B-1B bombers above and near the Korean peninsula

South Korean and Japanese jets joined exercises with two supersonic US B-1B bombers above and near the Korean peninsula on Thursday, two days after North Korea fired a missile over Japan, sharply raising tension. The drills, involving four U.S. stealth F-35B jets as well as South Korean and Japanese fighter jets, came at the end of annual joint US-South Korea military exercises focused mainly on computer simulations. "North Korea's actions are a threat to our allies, partners and homeland, and their destabilizing actions will be met accordingly," said General Terrence J O'Shaughnessy, Pacific Air Forces commander, who made an unscheduled visit to Japan. "This complex mission clearly demonstrates our solidarity with our allies and underscores the broadening cooperation to defend against this common regional threat. Our forward deployed force will be the first to the fight, ready to deliver a lethal response at a moment’s notice if our nation calls." North Korea has made no secret of its intention to develop the knowhow to launch a nuclear-tipped missile at the United States and has recently threatened the US Pacific territory of Guam. It denounced the US exercises in traditionally robust fashion. "The US imperialists and the south Korean puppet forces do not hide their bellicose nature, claiming that the exercises are to "counter" the DPRK's ballistic rocket launches and nuclear weapons development," the North's KCNA news agency said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). "But the wild military acts of the enemies are nothing but the rash act of those taken aback by the intermediate-to-long range strategic ballistic rocket launching drill conducted by the army of the DPRK as the first military operation in the Pacific." US President Donald Trump has warned North Korea it would face "fire and fury" if it threatened the United States and that the US military was "locked and loaded" in case of any provocation. Trump on Wednesday declared "talking is not the answer" to resolving the long-standing impasse. "The US has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years," Trump, who last week said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was "starting to respect" the United States, wrote on Twitter. "Talking is not the answer!" However, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, when asked by reporters just hours later if the United States had run out of diplomatic solutions with North Korea, replied: "No." "We are never out of diplomatic solutions," Mattis said before a meeting with his South Korean counterpart at the Pentagon. "We continue to work together, and the minister and I share a responsibility to provide for the protection of our nations, our populations and our interests." Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera spoke to Mattis by telephone and agreed to keep putting pressure on North Korea in a "visible" form, Japan's defence ministry said. Japanese Prime Shinzo Abe said he and visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May agreed to urge China, North Korea's lone major ally, to do more to rein in the North. They also discussed the possibility of adopting a new UN Security Council resolution over North Korea, a British government source said. The 15-member Security Council on Tuesday condemned the firing of an intermediate range ballistic missile over Japan as "outrageous" and demanded that North Korea halt its weapons programme, but the U.S.-drafted statement did not threaten new sanctions. Japan was pushing the United States to propose new UN Security Council sanctions, which diplomats said could target North Korea's labourers working abroad, oil supply and textile exports. Diplomats expected resistance from Russia and fellow veto-wielding power China, particularly given new measures were only recently imposed after North Korea staged two long-range missile launches in July. A US ban on travel to North Korea comes into effect on Friday, curbing one of its few remaining supplies of foreign currency. China again urged restraint from all parties. Defence ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang told a monthly briefing that China would never allow war or chaos on the Korean peninsula, its doorstep, and military means were not an option. "China strongly demands all sides to exercise restraint and remain calm and not do anything to worsen tensions," Ren said, adding that Chinese forces were maintaining a normal state of alert along the North Korean border. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the situation on the peninsula was serious. "I also want to stress that the current tense situation on the peninsula isn't a screenplay or a video game," she told reporters. "It's real, and is an immense and serious issue that directly involves the safety of people from both the north and south of the peninsula, as well as peace and stability of the entire region." The Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency and the crew of the guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones conducted a "complex missile defence flight test" off Hawaii on Wednesday, resulting in the intercept of a medium-range ballistic missile target, the agency said. The agency's director, Lieutenant General Sam Greaves, called the test "a key milestone" in giving U.S. Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense ships an enhanced capability, but did not mention North Korea. The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. North Korea routinely says it will never give up its weapons programmes, calling them necessary to counter perceived American hostility.

US bombers carry out drill over Korean peninsula after latest North Korea missile launch

The Japanese Self Defence Force (JSDF) and Third Division US Marines, took part in a live-fire joint exercise on Wednesday (Aug 16) in the northern Japanese city of Eniwa, Hokkaido, as part of Northern Viper 17-- the largest-scale military drill to be held between the two countries.

The exercise was also the first to be held in Hokkaido, as an effort to strengthen the US-Japan alliance by training together on unfamiliar ground.

Although the drills are not related to the latest tension on the Korean peninsula, it is taking place as unease between North Korea and the US are escalating and with US troops based in Okinawa, where the bulk of US forces in the region are based.

The 18-day live fire exercise which include rocket artillery drills and live-fire operations, will run through August 28 and will involve 3,500 troops.

Although the drills are not related to the latest tension on the Korean peninsula, it is taking place as unease between North Korea and the US are escalating

The Japanese Self Defence Force (JSDF) and Third Division US Marines, took part in a live-fire joint exercise on Wednesday (Aug 16) in the northern Japanese city of Eniwa, Hokkaido, as part of Northern Viper 17-- the largest-scale military drill to be held between the two countries. The exercise was also the first to be held in Hokkaido, as an effort to strengthen the US-Japan alliance by training together on unfamiliar ground. Although the drills are not related to the latest tension on the Korean peninsula, it is taking place as unease between North Korea and the US are escalating and with US troops based in Okinawa, where the bulk of US forces in the region are based. The 18-day live fire exercise which include rocket artillery drills and live-fire operations, will run through August 28 and will involve 3,500 troops.

US, Japan conduct joint military drill in Hokkaido

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all sides to exercise restraint on Monday in a call with US&nbsp;President Donald Trump, as a nervous South Korea and Japan sought to join drills with a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group headed for Korean waters.

Reclusive North Korea said at the weekend it was ready to sink the US&nbsp;aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, which Trump had ordered to waters off the Korean peninsula as a warning to the nuclear-armed North.

Japan said on Sunday it had sent two Japanese destroyers to join the carrier group for drills, and South Korea said it was also in talks about holding joint naval exercises.

China is increasingly worried the situation may spin out of control, leading to war and a chaotic collapse of its isolated and poverty-struck neighbour.

Xi told Trump that China resolutely opposes any actions that run counter to UN&nbsp;Security Council resolutions, a Chinese foreign ministry statement said.

China &quot;hopes that all relevant sides exercise restraint, and avoid doing anything to worsen the tense situation on the peninsula&quot;, the statement paraphrased Xi as saying.

The nuclear issue can only be resolved quickly with all relevant countries pulling in the same direction, and China is willing to work with all parties, including the United States, to ensure peace, Xi said.

Tensions have risen sharply in recent months, with Washington and its allies fearing Pyongyang could conduct another nuclear missile test or launch more ballistic missiles in defiance of United Nations sanctions.

North Korea celebrates the 85th anniversary of the foundation of its Korean People`s Army on Tuesday, and has marked similar events in the past with nuclear tests or missile launches.

&#39;Repeated Provocation&#39; 
Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described his conversation with Trump as a &quot;thorough exchange of views&quot;.

&quot;We agreed to strongly demand that North Korea, which is repeating its provocation, show restraint,&quot; Abe told reporters.

&quot;We will maintain close contact with the United States, keep a high level of vigilance and respond firmly,&quot; he said.

Abe also said he and Trump agreed that China, North Korea`s sole major ally, should play a large role in dealing with Pyongyang.

A Japanese official said the phone call between Trump and Abe was not prompted by any specific change in the situation.

The US&nbsp;government has not specified where the carrier strike group is, but U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday it would arrive &quot;within days&quot;.

South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun gave no further details about the South`s plans, other than saying Seoul was holding discussions with the US Navy.

&quot;I can say the South Korean and US militaries are fully ready for North Korea`s nuclear test,&quot; Moon said.

 
South Korean and U.S. officials have feared for some time that North Korea could soon carry out its sixth nuclear test.

Satellite imagery analysed by 38 North, a Washington-based North Korea monitoring project, found some activity under way at North Korea`s Punggye-ri nuclear test site last week.

However, the group said it was unclear whether the site was in a &quot;tactical pause&quot; before another test or was carrying out normal operations.

Adding to the heightened tensions, North Korea detained a U.S. citizen on Saturday as he attempted to leave the country.

(Reuters)

&nbsp;

China is increasingly worried the situation may spin out of control, and lead to war

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all sides to exercise restraint on Monday in a call with US President Donald Trump, as a nervous South Korea and Japan sought to join drills with a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group headed for Korean waters. Reclusive North Korea said at the weekend it was ready to sink the US aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, which Trump had ordered to waters off the Korean peninsula as a warning to the nuclear-armed North. Japan said on Sunday it had sent two Japanese destroyers to join the carrier group for drills, and South Korea said it was also in talks about holding joint naval exercises. China is increasingly worried the situation may spin out of control, leading to war and a chaotic collapse of its isolated and poverty-struck neighbour. Xi told Trump that China resolutely opposes any actions that run counter to UN Security Council resolutions, a Chinese foreign ministry statement said. China "hopes that all relevant sides exercise restraint, and avoid doing anything to worsen the tense situation on the peninsula", the statement paraphrased Xi as saying. The nuclear issue can only be resolved quickly with all relevant countries pulling in the same direction, and China is willing to work with all parties, including the United States, to ensure peace, Xi said. Tensions have risen sharply in recent months, with Washington and its allies fearing Pyongyang could conduct another nuclear missile test or launch more ballistic missiles in defiance of United Nations sanctions. North Korea celebrates the 85th anniversary of the foundation of its Korean People`s Army on Tuesday, and has marked similar events in the past with nuclear tests or missile launches. 'Repeated Provocation' Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described his conversation with Trump as a "thorough exchange of views". "We agreed to strongly demand that North Korea, which is repeating its provocation, show restraint," Abe told reporters. "We will maintain close contact with the United States, keep a high level of vigilance and respond firmly," he said. Abe also said he and Trump agreed that China, North Korea`s sole major ally, should play a large role in dealing with Pyongyang. A Japanese official said the phone call between Trump and Abe was not prompted by any specific change in the situation. The US government has not specified where the carrier strike group is, but U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday it would arrive "within days". South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun gave no further details about the South`s plans, other than saying Seoul was holding discussions with the US Navy. "I can say the South Korean and US militaries are fully ready for North Korea`s nuclear test," Moon said. South Korean and U.S. officials have feared for some time that North Korea could soon carry out its sixth nuclear test. Satellite imagery analysed by 38 North, a Washington-based North Korea monitoring project, found some activity under way at North Korea`s Punggye-ri nuclear test site last week. However, the group said it was unclear whether the site was in a "tactical pause" before another test or was carrying out normal operations. Adding to the heightened tensions, North Korea detained a U.S. citizen on Saturday as he attempted to leave the country. (Reuters)

China's Xi calls Trump as carrier heads for Korea, calls for restraint

Underscoring conflicting view in the Obama administration on the policy regarding denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, the director of US National Intelligence James Clapper on Tuesday said that he did not think the policy that Washington had stuck to was realistic.&nbsp;

He said the US policy of trying to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons &quot;is probably a lost cause&quot; and the best they could hope for is a cap on the country&#39;s nuclear capability.&nbsp;

However, the US state department maintained that the policy on the North had unchanged and the US will continue to seek the &quot;verifiable denuclearisation&quot; of the Korean peninsula.

Disagreeing with the US spy chief, the department spokesman John Kirby said he had not seen Clapper&#39;s remarks but insisted that Washington did not believe denuclearisation was a lost cause.&nbsp;

Clapper said he got a good taste of how the world looks from North Korea&#39;s viewpoint when he went to Pyongyang on a mission in 2014 to secure the release of two Americans held there.

&quot;They are under siege and they are very paranoid, so the notion of giving up their nuclear capability, whatever it is, is a non-starter with them. The best we could probably hope for is some sort of a cap, but they are not going to do that just because we ask them. There&rsquo;s going to have to be some significant inducements,&quot; Clapper said.&nbsp;

Pyongyang has persisted with its missile and nuclear weapons programs despite strong international sanctions.

(WION with inputs from Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Contrary to the Obama administration's policy, James Clapper said that at best the US could hope for a cap on Pyongyang's nuclear capability

Underscoring conflicting view in the Obama administration on the policy regarding denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, the director of US National Intelligence James Clapper on Tuesday said that he did not think the policy that Washington had stuck to was realistic. He said the US policy of trying to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons "is probably a lost cause" and the best they could hope for is a cap on the country's nuclear capability. However, the US state department maintained that the policy on the North had unchanged and the US will continue to seek the "verifiable denuclearisation" of the Korean peninsula. Disagreeing with the US spy chief, the department spokesman John Kirby said he had not seen Clapper's remarks but insisted that Washington did not believe denuclearisation was a lost cause. Clapper said he got a good taste of how the world looks from North Korea's viewpoint when he went to Pyongyang on a mission in 2014 to secure the release of two Americans held there. "They are under siege and they are very paranoid, so the notion of giving up their nuclear capability, whatever it is, is a non-starter with them. The best we could probably hope for is some sort of a cap, but they are not going to do that just because we ask them. There’s going to have to be some significant inducements," Clapper said. Pyongyang has persisted with its missile and nuclear weapons programs despite strong international sanctions. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Getting North Korea to denuclearise 'probably a lost cause': US Intelligence chief