Prior to his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with two key U.S. officials to discuss the upcoming Pyongyang-Washington summit.
Cha Sang-mi reports.
As his first official itinerary in Washington, President Moon Jae-in met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton.
According to pool reports, President Moon expressed his apppreciation for President Trump's top advisors for foreign affairs and national security as they prepare for the upcoming Pyongyang-Washington summit.

"I'm very much aware that you both play key roles in the U.S. government's foreign and security policies, and in particular, on Korea as a whole. We're embarking on a very important period that will determine the future of Korea and the Korean Peninsula. The Korean public has very high expectations of you."

During their 50-minute-long meeting, President Moon called on Pompeo and Bolton to speed up preparations to make the Pyongyang-Washington summit a successful one that ultimately puts all parties on the road to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"This is our highest priority. We're trying to get this right for your country, for our country, and for the world. And I have a great new counterpart Director Seo, a great counterpart of mine, and we are looking forward to working alongside you to achieve a really good outcome with North Korea."

Regarding the recent negative shift in tone from Pyongyang, President Moon stressed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's determination to hold a successful summit with the U.S. is resolute nevertheless.
The meeting came a couple of hours before President Moon sat down for his face-to-face with President Trump in the Oval Office.
Cha Sang-mi, Arirang News.