President Moon Jae-in of South Korea urged President Trump to offer the incentive during next week’s summit meeting with Kim Jong-un in Vietnam.
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s leader on Tuesday urged President Trump to offer joint North-South economic projects as an incentive for North Korea to denuclearize when he meets with its leader, Kim Jong-un, next week.
President Moon Jae-in and Mr. Trump spoke on the phone on Tuesday to discuss Mr. Trump’s planned second summit meeting with Mr. Kim, scheduled to take place in Hanoi, Vietnam, next Wednesday and Thursday. Washington is studying what Mr. Trump can offer in exchange for North Korean steps toward denuclearization.
Mr. Moon urged Mr. Trump to give South Korea a role in measures to encourage the North’s denuclearization, said Mr. Moon’s spokesman, Kim Eui-kyeom, referring to cross-border economic projects Mr. Moon has supported. “President Moon said if President Trump asks, South Korea will be ready to do its part, lessening the United States’ burden,” Mr. Kim said.
When they met for the first time in June in Singapore, Mr. Trump and the North Korean leader struck a vague agreement to build “new” relations and to “work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” But negotiations between the United States and North Korea have since stalled. Mr. Trump is under pressure to use the Hanoi meeting to work out concrete plans for carrying out the June agreement.
North Korea has so far suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests and destroyed its underground nuclear test site. It has also offered to dismantle a long-range rocket launchpad and engine test facility and invite international experts to watch.
