[AP XINHUA / YONHAP]
BEIJING -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is on a two-day trip to China following his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore after Washington suspended a joint military exercise with Seoul to spur denuclearization on the Korean peninsula.
Kim's trip from Tuesday to Wednesday will help "deepen China-North Korea relations, bolster strategic communication and facilitate regional peace and stability," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing.
It was his third visit to China in three months since the reclusive leader launched a flurry of diplomacy that began after North Korea participated in this year's Winter Olympics in South Korea. Kim had visited China in March and May for talks with President Xi Jinping.
South Korea expressed hope that Kim's visit to China would accelerate denuclearization. "Our government expects China to play a constructive role" in denuclearizing North Korea, foreign ministry spokesman Noh Kyu-duk told reporters.
Kim had apparently arrived in Beijing by plane. Security was tightened around the Diaoyutai state guest house. His trip came after South Korea and the United States announced the suspension of their joint military exercise code-named "Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG)".
There are about 28,000 US troops stationed in South Korea. Extra US military assets and personnel come from abroad for regular joint drills including UFG, a command post exercise based on computer-simulated war games.
The North's aggressive push for the development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles had prompted Seoul and Washington to revise their old and defensive strategy. The allies have tested their ability to mount preemptive attacks and a contingency mission to "decapitate" the North's leadership.
Trump has said that suspending joint exercises was his initiative to facilitate a nuclear deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their historic summit in Singapore.
Joint exercises are "on pause" as long as North Korea acts in good faith, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
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