South Korean president lauds Trump, Kim move toward dialogue

South Korean National Security Director Chung Eui-yong makes a statement regarding his March 7 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon (L) looks on at the entrance to the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 8, 2018. File Photo by Michael Reynolds/EPA-EFE South Korean National Security Director Chung Eui-yong (R) walks out to make a statement regarding his 07 March meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un; beside National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon (L), at the entrance to the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 08 March 2018. According to the statement North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has agreed to meet US President Donald J. Trump by May to achieve permanent denuclearization. Photo courtesy of EPA-EFE/MICHAEL REYNOLDS.

SEOUL, March 8 (UPI) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in said talks between the United States and North Korea would mark a "historic milestone for establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula."

After U.S. President Donald Trump accepted the North's invitation for dialogue, the South Korean leader on Friday lauded the development, saying the "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" will be on track through the meeting of the two leaders, Moon's spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said.

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"I convey my deep gratitude to the U.S. and North Korean leaders for their courage and wisdom in making this difficult decision," Moon said.

He added that Trump's leadership would be praised by South and North Koreans as well as all citizens throughout the world who are hoping for peace, Yonhap reported.

"I also thank world leaders who expressed interest and support until this result was reached today," he said.

Seoul will expediate efforts to support the "miraculous opportunity," the leader added.

The presidential spokesman also revealed that during a meeting with South Korean envoy Chung Eui-yong, Kim Jong Un said that if he meets with Donald Trump, "there could be a big achievement."

Chung relayed the message to Trump on Thursday local time, saying he'd felt "sincerity" from Kim during their discussion earlier this week, and that the North Korean leader wished to meet his U.S. counterpart "as soon as possible."

Amid Moon's efforts to foster the mood for peace on the Korean Peninsula and broker talks between the United States and North Korea, the South Korean president's approval rating jumped back to over 70 percent, after two months of remaining at 60 percent.

A Gallup Korea survey saw public approval for Moon rise 7 percentage points to 71 percent from the week before, while negative opinions dropped 4 percentage points to 22 percent.

The pollster attributed the stronger public support to achievements made by the president's special envoys to North Korea earlier this week, which included an agreement with Kim on holding an inter-Korean summit.

The survey was conducted on 1,005 South Korean adults from Tuesday to Thursday, with a confidence level of 95 percent. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.