ROK president calls for resumption of DPRK-US talks

SEOUL -- Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in on Monday called for quick resumption of meeting between the leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States.

Moon made the remark during a plenary session of the National Security Council (NSC), according to the presidential Blue House.

The NSC meeting was chaired by Moon in about nine months since he presided it over on June 14 last year, two days after the first summit between top DPRK leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump in Singapore.

Kim and Trump ended their second meeting in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi last week without any agreement.

"We wish the two countries continue talks. (We) anticipate the two leaders meet again as soon as possible to strike the delayed deal," said Moon.

Moon said it would never be desirable for Pyongyang and Washington to halt dialogue for long, and he believed that the two sides would reach an agreement "in the end."

He said the Republic of Korea (ROK) could play a significant role in helping the two sides strike a deal, indicating his willingness to broker a compromise between the DPRK and the United States.

The president instructed the NSC to make efforts for the rapid resumption of working-level talks between Pyongyang and Washington, and try their best to find measures contributing to the DPRK-US dialogue resumption through the development of inter-Korean relations without violating international sanctions.