Moon optimistic on US, N Korea thaw

South Korean president Moon Jae-in said yesterday he is confident a diplomatic thaw between Washington and Pyongyang will continue, despite "bumps and bruises" on the path to denuclearising the Korean peninsula.

Moon was speaking during a state visit in Singapore, where last month US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met during an unprecedented leaders' summit.

Kim committed to a nuclear-free North Korea at the end of the convivial meeting, but tensions resurfaced in the following weeks as representatives of both countries began to flesh out the deal.

"There will indeed be bumps and bruises along the way to achieve complete denuclearisation in the Korean Peninsula. But I believe we are in a completely different position (compared to) what happened in the past," Moon said.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo received a chilly reception last week after travelling to Pyongyang for denuclearisation talks.

While Pompeo said the talks were in good faith, Pyongyang's take was staunchly negative, warning the future of the peace process was being jeopardised by "unilateral and gangster-like" US demands for its nuclear disarmament.