Seoul, Pyongyang hold high-level talks ahead of Trump-Kim summit

North and South Korea held high-level talks Friday to discuss their efforts to improve ties ahead of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. The discussions between Seoul and Pyongyang were originally scheduled for earlier this month but were abruptly called off by North Korea in response to a joint US-South Korea air force drill. However, a day after ‘Max Thunder’ ended on May 25, the North’s leader had a surprise summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the border truce village of Panmunjom. “We will discuss ways to implement expediently and smoothly agreements reached by the two leaders,” the South’s unification minister, Cho Myoung-gyon, said before leaving for Panmunjom for the talks. The delegation will also try “to create positive atmosphere for a US-North Korea summit,” he said. Also on the agenda are talks about how to relink cross-border railways and roads, and fielding a joint team for the Jakarta Asian Games in August, AFP reported.