South Korea’s National Security Adviser has expressed optimism that North Korea and the United States will resume negotiations in the near future because of their joint will to engage in talks. 

Chung Eui-yong revealed his views during the National Assembly’s House Steering Committee meeting on Tuesday, when asked about the abrupt cancellation of a trip to Pyongyang by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. 

Chung said the two countries have a strong desire to implement the agreements from the North Korea-U.S. summit at the earliest possible time, stressing the situation is significantly different from the past. 

He noted the North and the U.S. are holding negotiations over the important and complex issue of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. He said fine-tuning is happening between the two sides on many subjects, adding that various situations can occur in the process. 

He said a certain level of “labor pain” is unavoidable given the speedy development of the related situations and the sheer gravity of the issue. 

Regarding the possible ramifications of Pompeo’s cancelled trip on the upcoming inter-Korean summit, Chung said the pledge to hold the summit in Pyongyang in September will be kept, adding preparations are already well underway.