President Moon Jae-in says he expects prospective summit meetings between the two Koreas, and North Korea and the U.S. will bring "significant progress" on the denuclearization and peace-building process.
Moon made the remark in a summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN)-related meetings in Singapore, referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's plan to visit Seoul and meet again with U.S. President Donald Trump.
During their talks, Moon thanked Putin for his interest and support regarding peace-building efforts on the Korean Peninsula.
In response, Putin highlighted close cooperation between Seoul and Moscow, including on peninsula-related issues.
The Russian leader also mentioned active trade between their two countries, noting South Korea is Russia's second biggest trade partner among the Asian and Pacific countries. He said their bilateral trade grew 27 percent in 2017 from a year earlier, and has increased 20 percent so far this year.