The presidential office has assessed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's third meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping moved the denuclearization process a step further. 

Presidential Spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said in a briefing on Wednesday that Seoul expects China will play a positive role in completing the North's denucleariazation in a stable manner. 

The U.S. response was more cautious. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a press briefing on Tuesday that the U.S. is "carefully" and "closely" watching Kim's trip to China. 

She said Washington continues to communicate with the North Korean government and that it looks forward to the North following through on its commitments and agreements made at last week's summit. 

[Photo : YONHAP News]