SEOUL, March 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Friday that meaningful progress was made in the second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un, as the two leaders enhanced trust through the two-day meeting.
Moon made the remarks when addressing an event held at a square in central Seoul to mark the centenary of the March 1 independence movement against Japanese colonial rule on the Korean Peninsula, according to the presidential Blue House.
Moon said Kim and Trump made "meaningful progress" in their second summit in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Kim and Trump held a summit on Wednesday and Thursday, but failed to reach a deal. The agenda on Thursday was abruptly cut short, with a working lunch and signing ceremony for a possible peace agreement cancelled. The two countries technically remain at war. The exact reason for the early end remains unclear.
Trump said at a press conference after the summit that "Basically they (DPRK) want the sanctions lifted, in their entirety, and we couldn't do that."
Countering the U.S. claims, Ri Yong Ho, the DPRK's foreign minister, told a separate press conference that Pyongyang only proposed a removal of sanctions that directly affect the livelihoods of its people.
If the United States agrees to the proposal, the DPRK "will permanently and completely dismantle all nuclear production facilities in the Yongbyon area, including plutonium and uranium in the presence of U.S. experts and by the joint work of technicians of both countries," Ri said.
Despite the conflicting accounts, Moon said the Trump-Kim summit produced a significant outcome for normalizing bilateral ties as they discussed setting up liaison offices.
Calling the no-deal summit "a process going toward a higher-level agreement," Moon vowed to help Kim and Trump come to a "complete agreement" without fail.
Moon said Seoul will discuss with the United States ways to resume the two suspended inter-Korean economic projects -- the jointly-run industrial park in the DPRK border town of Kaesong and tourism in Mount Kumgang.
Progress in the denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula could lead to the establishment of a joint economic development committee between Seoul and Pyongyang, according to the South Korean president.
Increased inter-Korean relations will help build a new regime of peace and security in Northeast Asia, Moon said. In particular, he mentioned the inter-Korean connectivity project to link railways and roads across the border, with construction work set to begin once international sanctions against Pyongyang are lifted.
During the commemoration speech, Moon also called for the vestiges of pro-Japanese collaboration from the colonial era to be rooted out while calling for a reflection on history.
