Seoul hopes meet between US-N Korea officials be 'turning point' for peninsula

South Korea on Saturday welcomed a planned second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying it hoped the meeting would be a "turning point" for peace on the Korean peninsula.

The announcement from Seoul's presidential office came hours after the White House said Trump would again meet the North Korean leader "near the end of February" at a location yet to be announced. "We expect the planned North-US summit would be a turning point in establishing a permanent peace regimen on the Korean peninsula," said Kim Eui-kyeom, South Korean President Moon Jae-in's spokesman. South Korea would continue close coordination with its key ally US to achieve the goal of "complete denuclearisation," he continued. He added Seoul would expand dialogue with Pyongyang to make the planned summit "successful".

Kim and Trump first met in June in Singapore, where they signed a vaguely worded document in which with Kim pledged to work towards the "denuclearization of the Korean peninsula". But progress stalled soon afterwards as Pyongyang and Washington -- which stations 28,500 troops in South Korea -- disagree over what that means.