Seoul welcomes Trump's latest twist on North Korea

Seoul's presidential office said Saturday it is "fortunate" that U.S. President Donald Trump might yet meet with his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un as scheduled on June 12.

Presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom welcomed the fact that "the possibility of the North Korea-U.S. dialogue is still alive without being terminated," according to a statement carried by local news agency Yonhap.

Just a day earlier, South Korean President Moon Jae-in admitted he was "perplexed" by the cancellation of the planned Trump-Kim summit in Singapore.

The American leader had pulled the plug on the meeting in an open letter this week in response to a threat of war from Pyongyang's regime following an apparent disagreement over how North Korea would fulfill its April promise to denuclearize.

But the North released a further statement Friday emphasizing its willingness to hold dialogue with the U.S.

Trump replied later in the day by stating on social media that his side is having "very productive" talks with North Korea.

He said his summit with Kim, if it does happen, will still "likely" happen on June 12 in Singapore.