Despite such statements, it remained unclear whether the North Korean negotiator had given Mr. Wi a persuasive commitment to denuclearization, another South Korean demand.
Without a concrete North Korean commitment to denuclearization, any such talks would simply give North Korea a tool to weaken an international resolve to enforce sanctions on the North while buying time to perfect its nuclear arsenal, they said.
While he did not say specifically what steps would be needed, according to the long-standing United States position they might include a public commitment to denuclearization and such measures as halting the production of nuclear material, refraining from testing missiles and ceasing threats to attack its neighbors.
The presidents also reiterated their mutual commitment to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
From there, Kim attended an inter-Korean summit in Panmunjom, South Korea, where the two leaders declared their willingness to bring about an official end to the Korean War after 65 years and a commitment to denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. .
"The statement contained positions that are already well-established (like North Korean commitment to denuclearization 'of the Korean Peninsula,' and desire to work toward a 'peace regime' on the peninsula)," Oba told HuffPost in an email, referring to similar promises made by Kim in April during his landmark meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
Chung recently met with Kim in North Korea, he said, and Kim was "committed to denuclearization".
North Korea's neighbor China also condemned the test, urging the nation to remain committed to denuclearization efforts.
The policy centers on the insistence that Pyongyang commit to denuclearization as a precondition for direct talks.
Given Kim only repeated vague commitments to pursue the "denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," some observers questioned whether Trump was making overly drastic concessions.
