North Korea has invited President Donald Trump to meet with leader Kim Jong-un, as well as committing to denuclearisation.
South Korea’s national security advisor Chung Eui-yong spoke to press at the White House just after 7pm local time on Thursday.
"I told President Trump that in our meeting, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he's committed to denuclearisation. He pledged that North Korea will refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests.”
Global Affairs expert Keith Suter said if the meeting can reduce the threat of a war between the two countries, then it's very good news.
"My worry is, we still don't know exactly what North Korea is getting up to and what it hopes to get out of the meeting," he said. "North Korea is committed to acquiring nuclear weapons, it is haunted by the phrase from an American President in 2002 talking about the 'access of evil', Iran, Iraq and North Korea. [NK] think they're the next to be attacked, therefore they're trying to acquire nuclear weapons. The problem has been 'pushed down the street' so to speak and it'll be during President Trump's time that North Korea will become a nuclear power."
"Trump wants to avert that, but I don't see how North Korea will surrender its nuclear weapons so I'm very wary of what will come out of the meeting."
Suter said he is very surprised Trump has agreed to go along with it: "The North Korean leader is very smart, I keep warning people not to regard him as a idiot. He's young, but he's very smart and knows how to play the game. He's trying to come across as the peacemaker and emphasise that Donald Trump is the war maker.”