MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US and North Korea preparing for the Trump/Kim Jong-un summit

Last Thursday Trump called off the meeting, due in Singapore next month, citing North's “hostility”. But both sides have since been working to get it back on track.

A US team is holding talks with North Korean officials to prepare a possible meeting between President Donald Trump and the North's leader Kim Jong-un. The talks in the village of Panmunjom, in the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas, are the latest sign that the summit could take place after all.

 Last Thursday Mr. Trump called off the meeting - due in Singapore next month - citing the North's “hostility”. But both sides have since been working to get it back on track.

On Saturday Mr Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in held an unannounced meeting. Mr Moon said the North's leader had “again made clear his commitment to a complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula”.

Mr Kim later spoke of his “fixed will” that the summit should go ahead. On Sunday Trump tweeted that it would help the North achieve its “brilliant potential”.

Our United States team has arrived in North Korea to make arrangements for the Summit between Kim Jong Un and myself. I truly believe North Korea has brilliant potential and will be a great economic and financial Nation one day. Kim Jong Un agrees with me on this. It will happen! End of Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump.

The team is reportedly led by Sung Kim, a former ambassador to South Korea, and was to hold talks with North Korean Vice-Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui. The aim of the talks is to set an agenda for the summit between the leaders.

However there is still a lot of ground to be covered and Mr Trump has clearly shown that if he does not think a deal can be done, he will not go. It is unclear whether Mr Kim will agree to fully abandon his nuclear arsenal. Similar pledges in the past have not been upheld.

Analysts say the US had wanted denuclearization first - followed by rewards in the form of lifted sanctions and economic aid.

Mr Kim has indicated he wants a phased approach, with his steps met by reciprocal ones from the US and the South - mainly on sanctions but also easing of the US military presence in South Korea.