US President Donald Trump says the United States is having "productive talks" about reinstating a June 12 summit with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, just a day after he cancelled the meeting citing Pyongyang's "open hostility."
"We are having very productive talks about reinstating the Summit which, if it does happen, will likely remain in Singapore on the same date, June 12th., and, if necessary, will be extended beyond that date," Trump said in a Twitter post late on Friday.
Trump had earlier indicated the summit could be salvaged after welcoming a conciliatory statement from North Korea saying it remained open to talks.
"It was a very nice statement they put out," Trump told reporters at the White House. "We'll see what happens - it could even be the 12th.
"We're talking to them now. They very much want to do it. We'd like to do it."
Trump's latest about-face sent officials scrambling in Washington.
Defence Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters diplomats were "still at work" and said Trump had just sent a note out on the summit, which could be back on "if our diplomats can pull it off."
US State Department spokeswoman Katina Adams declined to give details of any diplomatic contacts but said: "As the president said in his letter to Chairman Kim, dialogue between the two is the only dialogue that matters. If North Korea is serious, then we look forward hearing from them at the highest levels."
Trump scrapped the meeting, planned for Singapore, in a letter to Kim on Thursday after repeated threats by North Korea to pull out over what it saw as confrontational remarks by US officials demanding unilateral disarmament. Trump cited North Korean hostility in cancelling the summit.
North Korea had sharply criticised suggestions by Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, and Vice President Mike Pence that it could share the fate of Libya if it did not swiftly surrender its nuclear arsenal.
North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan said their criticisms had been a reaction to American rhetoric and that current antagonism showed "the urgent necessity" for the summit.
He said North Korea regretted Trump's decision to cancel and remained open to resolving issues "regardless of ways, at any time", while also praising Trump for having made the bold decision to work toward a summit.
After years of tension over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program, Kim and Trump agreed this month to hold what would be the first meeting between a serving US president and a North Korean leader.
The plan followed months of war threats and insults between the leaders over North Korea's development of missiles capable of reaching the United States.
South Korea's presidential spokesman said in response to the latest developments: "We are cautiously optimistic that hope is still alive for US-North Korea dialogue. We are continuing to watch developments carefully."
