U.S., N. Korea in talks for third Trump-Kim summit

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korean and U.S. officials are holding "behind-the-scenes talks" to arrange a third summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the fate of the North's expanding nuclear arsenal, South Korea's president said, four months after a second meeting between the leaders in Vietnam ended without any agreement.

There have been no public meetings between Washington and Pyongyang since the breakdown of the Vietnam summit. But the prospects for a resumption of U.S.-North Korea diplomacy have brightened since Trump and Kim recently exchanged personal letters. Trump called Kim's letter "beautiful" while Kim described Trump's as "excellent," though the contents of their letters have not been disclosed.

Trump was asked Wednesday as he departed for Asia if he would be meeting with Kim at the Group of 20 summit in Japan.

Trump said he wouldn't be meeting with Kim, but then added: "I may be speaking with him in a different forum. I will be going, as you know, to South Korea after the summit." He didn't elaborate.

In a response Tuesday to questions by The Associated Press and six other news agencies, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Trump's and Kim's "willingness to engage in dialogue has never faded" and their recent letter exchanges prove that.

Moon, a liberal who met Kim three times last year, has made dialogue with the North as a means to forging peace on the Korean Peninsula a centerpiece of his presidency. He has played a central role in facilitating U.S.-North Korean negotiations, even if those efforts have at times been overshadowed by the Trump-Kim talks he helped broker.

Moon said he doesn't see the Vietnam summit as a failure. He said he thinks the meeting served as a chance for both Washington and Pyongyang to better understand each other's positions and "put everything they want on the negotiating table."

"The success of denuclearization and the peace process on the Korean Peninsula cannot be determined by a summit or two," Moon said, adding the discussions in Vietnam will form the basis for future talks. "Both sides clearly understand the necessity for dialogue," he added.

Despite the deadlocked nuclear negotiations, both Trump and Kim have described their personal relationship as good. When asked whether Kim's recent letter included a mention about another summit, Trump said, "Maybe there was."

"But we, you know, at some point, we'll do that," Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday. "Getting along very well. He's not doing nuclear testing."

In yet another reminder of North Korea's continued mistrust of the United States, its foreign ministry said earlier Wednesday it won't surrender to U.S.-led sanctions and accused Washington of trying to "bring us to our knees."

Kim has said North Korea will seek a "new way" if the United States persists with sanctions and pressure. Following his setback in Vietnam, Kim traveled to the Russian Far East in April for his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kim also hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping in Pyongyang last week for their fifth summit since March last year, and experts say the North's outreach to its traditional allies is aimed at strengthening its leverage with the Trump administration.

Moon said he views the North's expanding diplomacy with Beijing and Moscow as a positive development in efforts to resolve the nuclear standoff.

"China and Russia have continued to play constructive roles so far to peacefully resolve the Korean Peninsula issue," he said. "I hope that China and Russia will play specific parts in helping the North resume dialogue at an early stage."