Trump to visit ROK as Pompeo raises hope for new DPRK talks after letter
CGTN
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US President Donald Trump attends the Congressional Picnic on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, June 21, 2019. (Photo: VCG)

US President Donald Trump will visit the Republic of Korea (ROK) this weekend after an exchange of letters with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un boosted hopes for talks aimed at ending DPRK's nuclear program. 

Trump is set to arrive in ROK for a two-day visit on Saturday, and will meet President Moon Jae-in on Sunday, following a summit of G20 leaders in Japan, Moon's spokeswoman, Ko Min-jung, said. 

The announcement came hours after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hoped a letter Trump sent to Kim could pave the way for a revival of stalled nuclear talks. 

Trump and Moon would have "in-depth discussions on ways to work together to foster lasting peace through the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, while strengthening the two countries' alliance," Ko told a news briefing on Monday.

Pompeo, who spoke of Trump's letter to Kim before departing from Washington for the Middle East, said the United States was ready to resume talks with DPRK immediately. 

A former ROK's unification minister, Chung Se-hyun, who has advised Moon on relations with DPRK, said in a radio interview on Monday that it was possible for Trump to meet Kim in the demilitarised zone (DMZ). 

Kim and Moon held their historic first summit in the DMZ last year. But Ko said details of Trump's itinerary had not been finalized. 
Trump and Kim held their first, ground-breaking summit in Singapore in June last year, agreeing to establish new relations and work towards the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. 

But a second summit in Vietnam in February collapsed when the two sides were unable to bridge differences between US demands for denuclearization and DPRK side demands for sanctions relief.

'Excellent'

On June 11, Trump said he had received a very warm, "beautiful" letter from Kim, adding he thought something positive would happen. 
DPRK's news agency KCNA said on Sunday Kim had received a letter from Trump, which he described as being "of excellent content", but did not disclose any details. 
Meanwhile, Pompeo did not discuss the contents of Trump's letter, but said the United States had been working to lay foundations for discussions since the Hanoi summit was abruptly ended by Trump. 
"I think we're in a better place," Pompeo said. 
Asked if working-level discussions would begin soon, Pompeo said: "I think the remarks you saw out of North Korea (DPRK) this morning suggest that may well be a very good possibility." 
Pompeo will join Trump at the G20 summit and accompany him to Seoul, after stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to consult the US allies on growing tension with Iran.