North Korea said they would “write a new history” for the peninsula and called for the reunification of the two states.
A delegation from South Korea had the first-ever meeting with Kim Jong-un today as officials said they hoped to encourage Pyongyang and Washington to talk.
Kim said it is his “firm will to vigorously advance” and “write a new history of national reunification” with South Korea.
North Korea’s state-run news agency Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said: “Hearing the intention of President Moon Jae In for a summit from the special envoy of the south side, he exchanged views and made a satisfactory agreement.
“He gave the important instruction to the relevant field to rapidly take practical steps for it. He also made an exchange of in-depth views on the issues for easing the acute military tensions on the Korean Peninsula and activating the versatile dialogue, contact, cooperation and exchange.”
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The 10-member South Korean delegation, led by National Security Office head Chung Eui-yong, was greeted by North Korean officials after landing in Pyongyang, said Kim Eui-kyeom, a spokesman for South Korea’s presidential office.
Mr Chung’s team includes National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon and Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung.
Ahead of the meeting Mr Chung said: “We will deliver President Moon Jae-in’s wish to bring about denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and permanent peace by extending the goodwill and better inter-Korean relations created by the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.”
The welcoming delegation included Ri Son Gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, and Kim Yong Chol, who heads the United Front Department, the North Korean office responsible for handling inter-Korean affairs. Both visited South Korea during the Olympics.
The South Korean delegation was later invited to join Kim for dinner, the South Korean spokesman added.
A South Korean official said he understood members of the delegation were the first South Korean officials to meet Kim, who inherited the leadership from his father Kim Jong Il in late 2011.
Both North Korea and the US have expressed a willingness to hold talks, but the US position has been that they must be aimed at North Korea’s denuclearisation, something Pyongyang has rejected.
North Korea, which has been developing nuclear-tipped missiles capable of reaching the United States, has vowed never to give up what it calls an essential deterrent against US hostility.
Pyongyang is also concerned about joint US-South Korea military exercises, which it sees as preparations for war.
South Korean officials have said the drills will restart next month as planned, after being postponed for the Winter Olympics held last month in South Korea.
The Pentagon nevertheless said it was “cautiously optimistic” about the North-South talks, which resumed in January.
Pentagon spokesman Colonel Robert Manning told reporters: ”Our job is to make sure that we maintain those military operations to defend the Korean peninsula and we will (stand) shoulder to shoulder with our South Korean partners.
“But we are cautiously optimistic and obviously we encourage the dialogue to take place.”
Mr Chung and Mr Suh are due to fly to Washington later in the week to brief US officials on their discussions in the North.