The United States has signaled that it's feeling positive,... but remaining realistic about the direction North Korea is taking as the two sides prepare for their highly-anticipated summit.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
With the U.S.-North Korea summit set for some time in May,... the White House continues to observe North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's every move.
This include Kim's recent trip to Beijing for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. In a press briefing Wednesday, White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that while the recent news on North Korea appears positive, the U.S. remains cautious.

"We're going to be cautiously optimistic but we feel like things are moving in the right direction and the meeting yesterday was a good indication that the maximum pressure campaign has been working. You saw him leave for the first time, since becoming the leader of North Korea, leaving his country for the first time, for that meeting, and we consider that to be a positive sign that the maximum pressure campaign is continuing to work, and we are going to continue moving forward in this process and hopes for a meeting down the road."

This comes as President Trump responded to the North Korean leader's recent trip to Beijing by tweeting that he and Kim "look forward" to meeting each other.
He added that he believes there was a "good chance" the North Korean leader "will do what is right for his people and for humanity",... and move towards denuclearization.
Meanwhile,... North Korea expert Victor Cha says that, by going to Beijing,... the North Korean leader might be "saving face and giving the appearance of policy-coordination" in advance of the coming summits with the leaders of South Korea and the U.S.
Cha added that Kim may be looking to use China as insurance, in case his summit with President Trump does not go well.
With the world focused on what's to come in the coming months,... there's a mixture of optimism but also trepidation,... with North Korea known for its unexpected moves and decisions.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.