The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that during the session of the top body of the North Korean ruling Workers' Party Kim said about the forthcoming high-level meetings, making the first-ever public statement about the contacts made by a North Korean official.
On March 5-6, a high-ranking South Korean delegation visited North Korea, where it held a meeting with Kim. Soon after it Moon’s office announced that Seoul and Pyongyang had reached a historic agreement on holding the third ever summit of the countries’ leaders in late April. Due to the mediation of the South Korean side, an agreement on meeting of Kim with US President Donald Trump has also been reached.
In 2017, the situation on the Korean Peninsula deteriorated due to North Korea’s repeated ballistic missile launches and a nuclear test, which also led to heightened tensions between Washington and Pyongyang. The situation significantly de-escalated before the Winter Olympic Games that were recently held in South Korea’s Pyeongchang with North Korean athletes participating in the events.
