Trump to host S.Korean President on May 22

US President Donald Trump will meet with his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in at the White House on May 22, ahead of the real estate mogul's summit with North Korea's Kim Jong-un, the administration said on Friday.

"This third summit between the two leaders affirms the enduring strength of the US-Republic of Korea alliance and the deep friendship between our two countries," White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.

Trump and Moon will "continue their close coordination" on issues regarding the Korean peninsula and will discuss the inter-Korean summit that took place on April 27, as well as the US president's upcoming summit with the North Korean leader, Efe reported.

Earlier on Friday, Trump said that a time and a place had been set for the meeting with Kim, although he did not provide any details.

The inter-Korean summit came after years of heightened tensions between the two countries, raising hopes that a lasting peace and a denuclearization of the peninsula could soon become a reality.

The US President also expressed optimism regarding the release of three US hostages held in a North Korean prison, saying "you're going to see very good things".

The Kim and Trump meeting will be the first between the leaders of the US and North Korea, nearly 70 years after the start of the 1950-1953 Korean war.

--IANS

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