WASHINGTON • United States President Donald Trump said relations with Kim Jong Un remain "very good" and he opened the door yesterday for a third summit, hours after the North Korean leader said he is willing to meet as long as the US offers acceptable terms for a deal by year end.

"I agree with Kim Jong Un of North Korea that our personal relationship remains very good, perhaps the term excellent would be even more accurate," Mr Trump said in a tweet. "A third summit would be good in that we fully understand where we each stand."

He added that he looked forward to a day, "which could be soon, when nuclear weapons and sanctions can be removed, and then watching North Korea become one of the most successful nations of the world".

In remarks carried earlier yesterday by the official Korean Central News Agency, Mr Kim said he would not welcome a repeat of the Hanoi summit in February, when Mr Trump walked out without securing a nuclear disarmament deal.

While Mr Kim hailed his relationship with Mr Trump, he also said that the US has been making unilateral demands and should abandon that approach.

"In any case, we will wait with patience for the US' courageous decision by the end of this year, but it will clearly be tough to get such a good opportunity like the last time," said Mr Kim in a speech at North Korea's rubber-stamp legislature, according to the KCNA report.

His remarks suggest an attempt to breathe new life into the stalled negotiations.

While Mr Trump said last Thursday that the door for dialogue remains open an d a summit "could happen", he also rejected calls to revive economic projects between North and South Korea.

In a leadership shuffle announced last Friday, Mr Kim consolidated his power and granted new legitimacy to officials involved in the talks.

Korean National Diplomatic Academy's Associate Professor Kim Hyun-wook said: "They want to see the US make the next move - that the steps that they took, such as returning war remains and shutting down missile sites, are even more grounds to demand the US to relieve sanctions. However, the US has taken a more hard-line stance since the Hanoi summit."

Mr Trump offered a positive outlook in his tweet yesterday: "North Korea has tremendous potential for extraordinary growth, economic success and riches under the leadership of Chairman Kim."

Mr Kim said he does not have to be fixated on a summit to obtain sanctions relief and he would not hesitate to reach an agreement if the US brings up an idea that is acceptable to both sides, reported KCNA.

"What is clear is that if the US clings to the current political reckoning, the outlook for resolving problems will be dark and very risky," said Mr Kim.

During a meeting at the White House with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last Thursday, Mr Trump said now is not the right time for inter-Korea projects, including reopening a joint industrial park kept shuttered by sanctions.

Responding to Mr Kim's speech, South Korea repeated its stance of promoting the talks. "Our government will do what we can to maintain the current momentum for dialogue and help negotiations between the US and North Korea resume at an early date," said Mr Moon's office in a text message.

Mr Kim's year-end deadline probably reflects his desire to gain an edge in negotiations before Mr Trump turns his focus towards next year's presidential election, according to Dr Shin Beom-chul, director at the Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy Studies' Centre for Security and Unification.

"The confrontation is likely to continue as there's a low chance that the US will change its position," said Dr Shin. "The possibility for a North-South summit is decreasing and there will be limited outcomes, if any."

In a signal that North Korea has not given up on negotiating, Mr Kim Yong Chol was reappointed a member of the State Affairs Commission. He is one of the best-known personalities involved in the nuclear talks, having met with US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo in Pyongyang and travelling to Washington earlier this year to visit Mr Trump.

Ms Choe Son Hui, another official who has played a highly visible role in the US talks, was promoted to the job of first vice-foreign minister, a move that could give her more sway if discussions resume. There has been no indication that the US envoy for the talks, Mr Stephen Biegun, has had any substantive meetings with North Korean leaders since the Hanoi summit.

"Ms Choe as first vice-foreign minister puts her in position to be Mr Biegun's counterpart if this goes back to the foreign ministry to negotiate," said Dr Victor Cha, a senior adviser at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Mr Kim appointed Mr Choe Ryong Hae as the nominal head of state with the formal title of president of the assembly's presidium. Mr Choe replaces Mr Kim Yong Nam, 91, who had served North Korea's two previous rulers.

The move was seen as an indication that the younger Kim has fended off any potential threats and completed the transfer of power that began after his father Kim Jong Il died in 2011.

"He has established a supreme leadership role where he is, as President George W. Bush once said, the decider," said Mr Michael Madden, a non-resident fellow at the Stimson Centre in Washington. "What they're trying to communicate is that they have their house in order."

BLOOMBERG