WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in exchanged a phone call on Tuesday regarding North Korea’s recent launch of what analysts have said are short-range missiles.
In their first direct communication since their summit at the White House on April 11, Trump and Moon shared information on North Korea’s projectiles and discussed ways to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, Yonhap reported Tuesday.
“The leaders of South Korea and the United States discussed ways to improve the current situation on the Korean Peninsula after the April 11 summit,” said presidential Blue House spokeswoman Ko Min-jung.
The South Korean presidential office also said the two sides spoke for about 35 minutes, from 10 p.m. to 10:35 p.m., Tuesday evening, local Seoul time.
The White House did not immediately issue a statement following the call.
In her statement, Ko also said there was a “mutual exchange of views” on the “North Korea launch vehicle.”
The call comes at a time when the two countries are planning to cooperate on the recovery of Korean War remains.
KIA Recovery and Identification, or MAKRI, the South Korean defense ministry agency on remains recovery, is to conduct the excavation from Tuesday to Friday, Seoul Pyongyang News reported.
Five U.S. officials of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency are expected to joint the team in Korea, including John E. Byrd, the director for DPAA Laboratories.
The teams will be working at three sites near the border region of Paju, and other areas where U.S. troops clashed with enemy forces.
