South Korea vows to faithfully implement summit agreement with North

Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon speaks to journalists as he arrives at Seoul Government Complex in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Friday. / Yonhap

Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said Friday that the government will do its part to faithfully implement the agreement reached by the leaders of the two Koreas last month, despite the U.S. decision to cancel the highly anticipated summit with the North.

"Our government will do its part in carrying out the Panmunjom Declaration," Cho told reporters, referring to the agreement President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reached during their April 27 meeting.

"It appears that (the North) remains sincere in implementing the agreement and making efforts on denuclearization and peace building," added the minister in charge of inter-Korean affairs.

On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a publicly disclosed letter to the North Korean leader that the cancellation of the planned June 12 summit with the North is due to the "tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement."

In response, the North said Friday that it stays open to talks with the U.S. anytime and in any format.

Asked about the abrupt cancellation of the North-U.S. summit, Cho did not elaborate, saying he will look into what Trump said in the letter and figure out the overall situation. (Yonhap)