MOSCOW (Sputnik) — South Korean President Moon Jae-in said during his annual press conference he was ready to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but "only when conditions are met," local media reported Wednesday.
The South Korean leader also said, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency, that the North Korean nuclear issue must be resolved.
Last summer, during a speech in Berlin, Moon Jae-in said that contact with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was necessary, and the summit would be held if it served to relieve tension and confrontation.
The relationship between Pyongyang and Seoul have been particularly tense, as North Korea proceeded with missile and nuclear tests in violation of UN resolutions. Russia and China have been advocating a "double freeze" solution, which would see North Korea halting its nuclear and missile programs, while its neighbors would refrain from holding joint drills with the United States in the region.
On Tuesday, during talks between delegations of the two sides at a ministerial level in the demilitarized zone, Pyongyang and Seoul reached several agreements, including one on participation of North Korean athletes in the upcoming Olympics in South Korea, which allows for the restoration of the relationship.