South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has expressed hope that this week’s summit between the U.S. and North Korea will bring about “a tangible and substantial outcome” towards the North’s denuclearization.

At a UN disarmament conference in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday, Minister Kang emphasized she hopes the upcoming summit will mark another important milestone in the ongoing efforts for denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Kang said while she expressed "cautious hope" about the situation surrounding North Korea during her speech a year ago, she wants to bring a message of "progress and expectation" this time around.

Amid concerns over Seoul's push for inter-Korean projects that may weaken international sanctions on the North, Kang noted that Seoul will fully enforce the sanctions until it is confident that Pyongyang's denuclearization is complete and irreversible.

At a high-level session of the UN Human Rights Council later in the day, Kang also stressed that lasting peace on the peninsula will help improve human rights in the North.

[Photo : YONHAP News]