Koreas reach 'satisfactory' agreement

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL (AA) - North Korea revealed Tuesday that leader Kim Jong-un reached a "satisfactory agreement" with visiting South Korean officials in Pyongyang the previous day.

According to the reclusive state's KCNA news agency, Kim had "openhearted" talks with Seoul's delegation led by National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong, who was sent by South Korean President Moon Jae-in following an unprecedented level of cooperation during last month's Winter Olympics in the South.

The report by the North's state-run media suggested that Moon may soon accept an invitation to visit Pyongyang in person for a first inter-Korean summit in more than a decade.

"Hearing the intention of President Moon Jae-in for a summit from the special envoy of (South Korea), (Kim Jong-un) exchanged views and made a satisfactory agreement," the KCNA dispatch stated.

While the report did not address Moon's request for dialogue between North Korea and the United States, it did mention that Kim exchanged views on how to ease tensions on the peninsula.

A fundamental sticking point between Pyongyang and Seoul, along with Washington, has been the North's insistence on developing nuclear weapons in defiance of global sanctions.

South Korea's stance appears to have softened since Moon took office last May, with the liberal president wishing to bring about denuclearization through dialogue rather than insisting on strict preconditions for talks.

Seoul's chief envoy Chung will return to the South Tuesday to brief the presidential office on the trip's outcomes before heading to the United States to keep Washington informed.