ROK confirms ongoing preparatory talks for DPRK-US summit

SEOUL -- The foreign ministry of the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Thursday confirmed the ongoing preparatory talks for a summit between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States, raising a possibility for the first-ever DPRK-US summit to be held as scheduled.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kyu-duk told a press briefing that negotiations were underway at the truce village of Panmunjom between Sung Kim, US ambassador to the Philippines and former US ambassador to the ROK, and Choe Son-hui, the DPRK's vice foreign minister.

Noh said working-level talks between Pyongyang and Washington were underway in Singapore to discuss protocol and administrative matters for the summit between top DPRK leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.

It was a rare confirmation as the ROK side has refrained from confirming any information on the first-ever DPRK-US summit originally scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.

Noh added that the ROK and the United States have been consulting almost every day via various diplomatic channels, adding Seoul was closely communicating with neighboring countries, including China, Russia and Japan.