TOP US, South Korean and Japanese officials have discussed how to achieve nuclear disarmament in the Korean Peninsula during weekend talks ahead of upcoming inter-Korean and US-North Korean summits.

US national security adviser HR McMaster met his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Chung Eui-yong and Shotaro Yachi, in San Francisco for talks over the weekend on denuclearisation and the summits, South Korea’s presidential office said.

They agreed to maintain close trilateral co-operation in the next several weeks and shared a view that it is important not to repeat past mistakes, the statement said.

This likely refers to criticism that North Korea previously used disarmament negotiations as a way to ease outside pressure and secure aid while all along secretly pressing its weapons development.

Appearing on US television, South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha said Kim had “given his word” that he was committed to denuclearisation.

She said: “He’s given his word. But the significance of his word is ... quite weighty in the sense that this is the first time that the words came directly from the North Korean supreme leader himself, and that has never been done before.”

Kim’s willingness to negotiate over his nuclear programme is a step forward, but many experts remain sceptical about the sincerity of nuclear disarmament pledges.