Kim positive about planned summit with Trump

 Seoul [South Korea]: Breaking his silence on the proposed United States-North Korea summit, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has highlighted the likelihood of a proposed summit with US President Donald Trump.

During a political bureau meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) on Monday, Kim made a "profound analysis and appraisal" of bilateral relations between North and South Korea and the proposed talks with Trump, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The North Korean leader also discussed on the current situation of the Korean Peninsula and the upcoming inter-Korean summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, that is scheduled to be held on April 27.

According to the KCNA report, it read in English, "He made a profound analysis and appraisal of the orientation of the development of the north-south relations at present and the prospect of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)-US dialogue."

A South Korean ministry official, although welcomed Kim's move, he was surprised with the issues being discussed during the WPK meeting.

"It is quite rare that North Korea mentioned details about the inter-Korean summit and future dialogue with the US. North Korea seemed to attach meaning to the holding of the WPK meeting by reporting it."

During the meetings, Kim and his officials discuss on major national policies.

When Kim made a surprise visit to Beijing last month, he stressed that the issue of denuclearisation rests on Seoul and Washington D.C's "progressive and synchronous" measures.

Trump on Monday announced that the meeting with Kim will likely take place in May or early June and said the summit will be an "exciting thing for the world".

The announcement came a day after Trump's administration revealed that North Korea confirmed that it was willing to discuss denuclearisation with them.

The issue of denuclearisation is likely to be discussed during the inter-Korean summit and Kim-Trump summit respectively.

The upcoming summits with South Korea and the US come after years of tensions over North Korea's persistent nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.