SEOUL, June 20 (UPI) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached a mutual understanding on issues discussed at the U.S.-North Korea summit, including measures for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the North’s state media reported Wednesday.
“I will closely cooperate with our Chinese counterparts in the historic journey to open a new future for the Korean Peninsula and the region,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying.
Kim and Xi had their third meeting on Tuesday in Beijing. They met in March and May prior to Kim’s summits with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on April 27 and with U.S. President Donald Trump on June 12.
KCNA said Xi showed support for the North’s commitment to denuclearization and promised to play a “constructive role” in the process.
The two countries share a commitment to develop the bilateral relationship further while strengthening ties between the Communist Party of China and Workers’ Party of Korea, two ruling political parties.
The report said Kim expressed gratitude for China’s support for his summit with the United States. Kim flew to Singapore on an Air China flight on loan from China.
The report also offered a detailed coverage of Kim’s third trip to China with a chronological order of Kim’s arrival in Beijing, a welcome reception and the meeting with Xi, followed by a state dinner and celebrations.
China’s state media CCTV reported Tuesday on Kim’s two-day visit in Beijing.
The Chinese and North Korean media coverage of Kim’s visit to China, as the visit is ongoing, is unprecedented.
“Previously, North Korean media reported on Kim’s visit to China after he returned to Pyongyang, but this time they reported while Kim’s in China,” Baek Tae-hyun, South Korea’s Unification Ministry spokesman, said in a regular press briefing on Wednesday.
The trip “is seen as part of winning international understanding and cooperation in the process for denuclearization as the North and South agreed in the Panmunjom Declaration,” he said.
Kim was seen leaving a state guest house in Beijing on Wednesday morning. He is expected to visit multiple places in Beijing and possibly have another meeting with Xi, according to Yonhap.
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