North Korean Leader Negotiates with South Korean Delegation on Reducing Tensions

North Korea's official news agency reported on Tuesday that Kim Jong Un, the leader of the country, discussed and negotiated with a delegation from South Korea on ways to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula. According to the report, Kim Jong Un warmly welcomed the South Korean delegation, which carried a letter from the country's president. The report adds that the North Korean leader also agreed to the South Korean president's proposal to hold a summit. The official North Korean news agency also stated that Kim Jong Un exchanged views with the South Korean delegation regarding the reduction of military tensions on the Korean Peninsula and the advancement of dialogues and cooperation. AFP reports that the negotiations between the North Korean leader and the high-level South Korean delegation are unprecedented in the past decade and seem to be part of the outcome of the joint approach to holding the Winter Olympics. The report adds that the high-level South Korean delegation is working to create a conducive environment for negotiations between North Korea and the United States regarding the crisis on the Korean Peninsula. Kim Jong Un has invited Moon Jae-in, the president of South Korea, to participate in a summit in Pyongyang. Reports indicate that Chung Eui-yong, head of the National Security Office of the Presidential Office, and Seo Hoon, head of the South Korean intelligence agency known as the National Intelligence Service, entered North Korea on Monday. Recent meetings of high-level delegations from both countries come as the crisis on the Korean Peninsula has intensified due to North Korea's nuclear tests and repeated missile tests. During this time, international sanctions against Pyongyang have also increased. Leaders of the two Koreas have met in 2000 - during Kim Dae-jung's presidency and Kim Jong-il's leadership - and in 2007 - during Roh Moo-hyun's presidency and Kim Jong-il's leadership - which are considered the most significant negotiations on the peninsula in contemporary times. The recent visit of the sister of the North Korean leader to Seoul was the first visit by a main member of the ruling family of North Korea since the end of the Korean War in 1953. The United States has emphasized that any negotiations with North Korea must ultimately lead to the cessation of its nuclear program. At the beginning of Esfand, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, announced that his administration would impose the 'largest' sanctions package against North Korea to pressure the country to halt its nuclear and missile programs.