South Korea to make ‘major’ announcement on North Korea, Trump says

Photo of author

By BNO NEWS

A South Korean official in the United States will make a ‘major’ announcement regarding North Korea on Thursday evening, U.S. President Donald Trump says, just days after a historic meeting between officials from North and South Korea.

Trump appeared in the White House Briefing Room on late Thursday afternoon and notified reporters about the upcoming announcement, which he said is due to be made at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday (9 a.m. Seoul time on Friday).

The announcement will be made at the White House by South Korean National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong, who will be joined by White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. There was no immediate indication on the exact nature of the announcement.

It comes just hours after a South Korean delegation briefed U.S. officials about recent talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. A diplomatic source told CNN that the delegation delivered a letter from the North Korean leader for Trump.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula were high throughout much of 2017, fueled by North Korea’s frequent missile tests and its advancing nuclear weapons program, as well as U.S. military exercises and threatening statements by President Donald Trump.

The recent talks between North and South Korea have allowed tensions to ease, even though North Korea has publicly insisted that its weapons program is not up for discussion under any circumstance.

A South Korean delegation visited Pyongyang earlier this week and met with Kim, making them the first officials from the South to ever meet with him in person. Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in will meet for the first time at a third summit in late April.

Following Monday’s meeting with Kim, South Korea’s presidential office claimed that North Korea had indicated that it would have no reason to retain its nuclear weapons if it believes there is no longer a military threat and the regime’s safety is guaranteed.

North Korea has neither confirmed nor denied the statement from the South.

(Copyright 2017 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)

Images Courtesy of DepositPhotos