Kim Jong-un makes official mention of US-North Korea talks

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has publicly acknowledged the prospect of talks with the US for the first time, according to state media reports.

Speaking at meeting of the Workers’ party in Korea, Kim Un “set forth the strategic and tactical issues to be maintained” and “made a profound analysis and appraisal of the orientation of the development of the North-South [Korean] relations and the prospect of the [North Korea]-US dialogue,” the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on Tuesday. 

The development comes as both countries prepare to meet, after US President Donald Trump agreed last months to talks with the North Korean leader.

The unexpected announcement in March that talks were to take place so swiftly surprised many observers, who said summits of this kind typically need months of planning and negotiations.

Details of the proposed meeting, including timing, remain unclear. However, hours earlier, Trump said he planned to meet Kim in May or early June and that discussions would be focused on ending Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme.

If the talks go ahead, it would be the first time a sitting US president has met with a North Korean leader.