Moon, a liberal who was elected last week after a decade of conservative leadership, has taken a relatively diplomatic tone with North Korea, with whom the South remains technically at war following the armistice signed to end the 1950-1953 conflict.
On Wednesday a pro-Pyongyang newspaper based in Japan urged Moon to forsake the security alliance with the United States.
"The U.S. should mind that the DPRK nuclear striking capability will be strengthened and developed at a rapidly high speed as long as the U.S. insists (on) its anti-DPRK policy, nasty nuclear threats and blackmails, sanction and pressure", Kim said.
The date for a bilateral summit between Xi and Moon hasn't been confirmed yet, South Korea's delegation said.
According to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, North Korean official Kang Sam-hyon said: "The CIA of the US and the intelligence service of South Korea, hotbed of evils in the world, hatched a vicious plot to hurt the supreme leadership of the DPRK". Experts say the "medium long-range" Hwasong-12 missile the North fired on Sunday achieved a higher altitude and longer flight time than any other missile the country has tested.
Haley previously indicated that new sanctions could target oil, a critical import for North Korea mainly from China, and she added that the United States also wanted sanctions on organizations and businesses in third world countries that are helping Pyongyang.
It has caused controversy around the world, but in North Korea the developers of its latest missile have reportedly been given a hero's welcome on their return. Even rumors of Chinese action can spark drastic price shocks in North Korea.
Trump has said "a major, major conflict" with North Korea is possible and all options are on the table but that he wanted to resolve the crisis diplomatically, possibly through the extended use of economic sanctions.
Kim Jong-un says ballistic missile ready for 'action'
A picture released by North Korea last month which shows ballistic missiles on display during a military parade. Japanese officials said it landed in waters about 400 km away from Oki Islands in the Sea of Japan (East Sea).
Moon, a liberal, favors a softer approach to North Korea than his conservative predecessors and has offered to visit Pyongyang if the circumstances are right.
THAAD has risen as a key pending issue with Washington recently after Trump said Seoul should pay a staggering one billion US dollars for the system - a cost that no agreement says South Korea is responsible for.
"The thought of placing cyanide in the hands of the North Koreans, considering their record on human rights, political prisoners, and assassinations is not only risky but defies common sense", Haley said in a statement.
Researchers in the US, Russia and Israel have also pointed to a potential North Korean link - but it is notoriously hard to attribute cyberattacks.
While Trump and special envoy Hong mainly discussed the big picture, Hong and National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster also briefly talked about THAAD.
North Korea has now carried out three failed and four successful rocket launches since the start of the Trump Administration.
The post Trump willing to try engagement with North Korea, on conditions: Seoul appeared first on Vanguard News.
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