Trump to discuss peninsula issue with S. Korean president in April: White House

U.S. President Donald Trump will discuss the Korean Peninsula issue with South Korean President Moon Jae-in next month in Washington, the White House said in a statement late Thursday.

Trump will welcome Moon at the White House on April 11, and the two leaders will discuss the latest developments regarding the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as well as bilateral relations, the statement said.

Also on Thursday, U.S. State Department said that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would meet with his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha here on Friday.

Moon's upcoming visit would come at a critical moment after the second summit between top leader of the DPRK Kim Jong Un and Trump ended in Hanoi late February without reaching an agreement.

Nevertheless, Trump administration has repeatedly said that Washington would continue the conversation with Pyongyang.

In a congressional hearing on Wednesday, Pompeo said that he was hopeful that Washington could engage and negotiate with Pyongyang on the denuclearization issue.

South Korea's foreign ministry said earlier this month that Seoul would focus on helping resume dialogue between the DPRK and the United States for the rest of the year.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)