The situation on the Korean peninsula is a near “miracle”, Japan’s foreign minister said on Monday, according to a spokesman of South Korea’s presidential Blue House, referring to a recent breakthrough on talks with North Korea.

Taro Kono told Suh Hoon, the chief of the South’s National Intelligence Service, that he was grateful for Seoul’s efforts that brought a turnaround in the tense situation, the spokesman said in a statement.

Suh is in Tokyo to discuss his recent trip to Pyongyang, during which the two Koreas agreed to hold a summit next month.

He also visited Washington last week, when US President Donald Trump said he would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by May to discuss the North’s nuclear program.

Suh is set to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Tuesday, the spokesman added.

Reuters