Donald Trump has said a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-unwas likely togo ahead, a day after he announcedthe summit was cancelled.
The president said in a tweet that Washington was having productive talks with Pyongyang about reinstating themeeting on 12 June in Singapore.
Mr Trumps back-and-forth over the plan has given ammunition to critics who argue the administration is in chaos and caused anxiety toSouth Korea, which brokered the talks between Washington and North Korea.
A report by Politico claimed an advance team of 30 White House and State Department officials was preparing to leave for Singapore later this weekend.
Mr Trump said in a Twitter post late on Friday: We are having very productive talks about reinstating the summit which, if it does happen, will likely remain in Singapore on the same date, June 12th, and, if necessary, will be extended beyond that date.
The leader had earlier indicated the summit could be salvaged after welcoming a conciliatory statement from North Korea saying it remained open to discussions.
It was a very nice statement they put out, Mr Trump told reporters at the White House. Well see what happens it could even be the 12th.
Were talking to them now. They very much want to do it. Wed like to do it.”
Fridays tweet, which further brightenedprospects of the US-North Korean meeting, came just a day after Mr Trump cancelled it, citing Pyongyangs open hostility.
Seoul was apparently caught off-guard by Mr Trumps decision to cancel the Singapore meeting, with President MoonJae-insaying the decision was very regrettable”. He urged the two nations to resolve their differences through more direct and closer dialogue between their leaders.
The nationexpressed cautious relief aboutindicationsthe meeting could go ahead. We see it as fortunate that the embers of dialogue between North Korea and the United States werent fully extinguished and are coming alive again, Seouls presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said in a statement. We are carefully watching the developments.
If the meetingtakes place, it willbe the first between a serving US president and a North Korean leader after years of tension over Pyongyangs nuclear weapons program.
Announcement of the meeting this month followed months of war threats and insults between the leaders over North Koreas development of missiles capable of reaching the US.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report
