Summit Preparations

[Anchor Lead]

The foreign ministers of South Korea and the US met in Poland with two weeks left to the North Korea-US summit scheduled in Vietnam. The two sides agreed to step up cooperation for a successful summit, and they also coordinated views on North Korea's denuclearization and corresponding measures from the U.S.

[Pkg]

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attended an international conference in Warsaw, Poland. They held bilateral talks on the sidelines of that meeting to discuss preparations for the North Korea-US summit less than 2 weeks away. The two officials first agreed to strengthen bilateral coordination to help make the summit a successful one. According to Seoul's Foreign Ministry, leading up to the big event and in the days after, the leaders of South Korea and the US will talk on the phone while the two sides' top diplomats and chief nuclear envoys will also hold close consultations. A ministry official said Washington demonstrated strong determination to carry out working-level talks with Pyongyang in the days left to the summit. South Korea also expressed its will to actively cooperate and do all it can for the summit's success. It is believed Kang and Pompeo discussed concrete measures on North Korea's denuclearization including dismantlement of its Yongbyong nuclear facilities as well as corresponding action from the US such as lifting of sanctions. The two officials also assessed that bilateral defense cost sharing negotiations have also been concluded smoothly. A foreign ministry official in Seoul said Kang and Pompeo stressed the spirit of their countries' alliance, noting that sticking points of the negotiations related to the cost of South Korea's contribution and period of the agreement were resolved after the duo's phone meeting.