Seoul regrets agreement not reached at Hanoi summit

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - Officials in Seoul on Thursday expressed regret for the failure of a summit in Vietnam between the U.S. and North Korea to reach a deal on denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

“(We) do feel regret that President [Donald] Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un could not reach a complete agreement at today's summit,” South Korea's presidential office spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said in a statement to Yonhap news agency. “But it also appears that they have clearly made more meaningful progress than at any time in the past.”

Seoul insisted Washington and Pyongyang have “made more progress than ever, even without an agreement.”

U.S. and North Korean leaders unexpectedly cut short summit in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, with U.S. President Donal Trump saying he could not agree to the North’s request for a complete lifting of sanctions.

Trump explained to reporters shortly after exiting the summit, "It was about sanctions. Kim wanted sanctions to be lifted in entirety, we could not do that. [But] we have not given up."
He added: "We have made lot more progress today” and would would contact South Korea to go give an update about the progress.

Trump and Kim were meeting in less than year to discuss denuclearization of Korean peninsula and lifting of sanctions on Pyongyang.

South Korean presidential spokesperson Kim suggested the Hanoi meeting may have allowed the men to “better understand each other,” raising the possibility of a breakthrough in the future.

“Also, the willingness expressed by President Trump to hold continued dialogue and his optimistic view offer a bright prospect for the next meeting,” Kim said.

Seoul hoped Washington and Pyongyang would continue to dialogue.

“Our government will do its utmost to make sure the U.S. and North Korea will maintain the momentum for dialogue while continuing their communication and cooperation,” he said.