S.Korean PM calls for early resumption of DPRK-US working-level talks

South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Thursday called for an early resumption of working-level talks between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the United States to settle lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Lee made the remarks at an opening ceremony of the Seoul Defense Dialogue, the eighth South Korea-hosted regional security forum that brought together military officials and experts from about 50 nations and five international organizations.

Lee said the permanent settlement and spread of peace on the peninsula would be influenced by negotiations between the DPRK and the United States, expressing wish for the rapid resumption of the DPRK-US working-level dialogue.

He noted that the two Koreas and the United States have made efforts to find a way to the peninsula denuclearization since last year, saying that though outstanding outcomes had yet to be made, the three parties were still in a dialogue track to find the way.

Top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump met in late June at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom, agreeing to restart working-level talks for the peninsula's denuclearization.

The South Korean prime minister said that Seoul will continue to spare no effort for the DPRK-US dialogue and the peace settlement on the peninsula.