Moon, Trump agree to have dialogue with North Korea

Seoul: South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his US counterpart Donald Trump have agreed on Saturday that it was necessary to maintain dialogue momentum between Washington and Pyongyang, the presidential office here said.

During half-hour phone talks, the two leaders also agreed that the recent situations on the Korean Peninsula were "severe" and "dialogue momentum should be maintained to achieve prompt results from denuclearization negotiations", according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Ko Min-jung.

Moon and Trump had "in-depth consultations" on ways to move forward the peace process and agreed to have a phone conversation whenever it's needed, Yonhap News Agency quoted Ko as saying.

Earlier this week, North Korea resumed its verbal attacks against Trump in response to his apparent warning message made during his trip to London for a NATO summit.

Trump did not rule out the possibility of using military force against the communist regime, again calling its leader Kim Jong-un "Rocket Man".

The North's Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui hit back at Trump's remarks saying that if he was deliberate and confrontational in mentioning use of force, it should be "diagnosed the relapse of the dotage of a dotard".

Pyongyang has set a year-end deadline for Washington to offer concessions in nuclear talks.