N Korea talks 'going well'

US President Donald Trump said yesterday talks with North Korea were making progress despite reports Kim Jong Un's regime had stepped up its nuclear program after the two leaders held a historic summit.

"Many good conversations with North Korea-it is going well!" he tweeted. "In the meantime, no Rocket Launches or Nuclear Testing in 8 months.

"All of Asia is thrilled. Only the Opposition Party, which includes the Fake News, is complaining. If not for me, we would now be at War with North Korea!"

Trump's comments came as his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was to head back to North Korea on Thursday to flesh out the bare bones nuclear agreement signed by the two leaders during their summit meeting in Singapore last month.

Trump has boasted that the statement resolved the old foes' nuclear stand-off, but Pompeo has been tasked with nailing down details, reported AFP.

There have been reports Kim's regime has failed to honor its denuclearization pledge after the June 12 meeting.

The Washington Post on Sunday quoted four unnamed US officials who were briefed on intelligence findings that point to preparations for deceiving the United States, while NBC news has said Pyongyang is increasing its nuclear fuel production.

Citing satellite imagery, a respected monitoring group last month said operations and infrastructure works were continuing at the North's main Yongbyon nuclear site, while the Trump administration itself has cited "an unusual and extraordinary threat" from North Korea's nuclear arsenal to extend decade-long sanctions.

The US goal remained "the final, fully-verified denuclearization of (North Korea), as agreed to by Chairman Kim in Singapore," a State Department spokeswoman said.

A US delegation led by US ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim met with North Korean counterparts at Panmunjom on the border between North and South Korea on Sunday to discuss next steps on the implementation of the summit declaration, the State Department said.

"We had good meetings yesterday and ... the secretary of state will be there later this week to continue those discussions," Sanders told a White House briefing.

Sanders endorsed comments made on Sunday by White House national security adviser John Bolton, who said he believed the bulk of North Korea's weapons programs could be dismantled within a year "if they have the strategic decision already made to do that."

"There is great momentum right now for a positive change and we are moving together for further negotiations," Sanders said.

A report in Axios on Monday suggested if talks go well, Trump could invite Kim to New York in September to continue the dialogue as the UN General Assembly gets under way.