North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday expressed hope for better ties with the United States at his first-ever summit in Pyongyang with South Korean President Moon Jae In.

With all eyes on whether their discussions will lead to a breakthrough in stalled denuclearization talks, Kim thanked Moon for facilitating the holding of a North Korea-U.S. summit in mid-June, according to information from the South Korean press corps.

Kim, speaking at the outset of the summit, welcomed progress so far in advancing North Korea's relations with South Korea and the United States.

"If (the two Koreas) communicate well with surrounding countries while striving for stable regional conditions and co-prosperity in peace, I expect improved results to come," he said.

[Pyeongyang Press Corps]

Moon, in response, said he and Kim could show the world their commitment to promoting peace and co-prosperity.

The two leaders held the first round of the summit for about two hours at the headquarters of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea following a luncheon at a guesthouse.

During Moon's three-day visit, the two leaders, who have already held talks twice this year at the border village of Panmunjeom, were expected to discuss how to achieve nuclear disarmament and ease military tensions, with the South Korean president pledging to serve as a broker between Washington and Pyongyang.

Kim said in his speech at a dinner later Tuesday, "We still have a lot of difficulties waiting for our progress" but "when the North and the South hold hands together and go forward together with their will and strength, the road will open."

In a separate speech, Moon urged Kim to attain "complete denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula," saying, "If we understand each other...there will be no difficulty we cannot overcome."

Shortly before 10 a.m., a plane carrying Moon and his entourage arrived at Pyongyang's airport from Seoul. He was greeted by Kim with hugs and handshakes on the tarmac amid loud cheers from a waiting crowd, footage broadcast live from the airport showed. Kim was accompanied by his wife Ri Sol Ju.

Moon and Kim then took part in a parade with thousands of citizens lining the streets, waving pom-poms and flags. The leaders, standing in the rear of an open limousine, waved back.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is hoping for Moon to gain some concessions from North Korea, which has shied away from specifying concrete measures to get rid of its nuclear weapons.

In their telephone conversation on Monday, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung Hwa and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed that the two nations will continue to cooperate to achieve denuclearization and permanent peace on the peninsula, South Korean officials said.

North Korea's state-run media on Tuesday reported for the first time the exact schedule of Moon's visit to Pyongyang.

(North Korean flags are displayed on the streets of Pyongyang)

The summit "will offer an important opportunity in further accelerating the development of inter-Korean relations that is making a new history," the Korean Central News Agency said.

Moon, the first South Korean president to visit North Korea in 11 years, is scheduled to return to Seoul on Thursday morning.

"If the summit leads to the resumption of U.S.-North Korea denuclearization talks, that itself will be meaningful," Moon told government officials before his departure, according to the president's press secretary.

Moon left for Pyongyang around 9 a.m. on Tuesday, flying directly from Seoul's Seongnam Air Base, along with more than 100 other delegates and staff members, including top business leaders.

At their historic summit on June 12 in Singapore, Kim promised Trump to accomplish "complete" denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula in return for security guarantees from the United States.

(Moon Jae In, Kim Jong Un and their wives meet at the airport)
[Pyeongyang Press Corps]

Trump, however, has been skeptical about whether Kim is serious about realizing the goal. Signaling that relations between Washington and Pyongyang remain turbulent, the U.S. president nixed a planned trip to North Korea by Pompeo late last month.

At his Sept. 5 meeting with Moon's special envoys, Kim -- who appears eager to keep his channel of communication with Trump open to end the 70 years of hostility between their countries -- again voiced his commitment to denuclearization, South Korean officials said.

Kim also expressed hope that denuclearization of the peninsula will take place during Trump's current term in office through January 2021, they added. It was the first time for Kim to clarify a timeline for North Korea giving up its nuclear arsenal.

Trump has welcomed Kim's recent commitment, fanning expectations that negotiations between the United States and North Korea will move forward after the latest inter-Korean summit.

[Pyeongyang Press Corps]

Kim and Moon issued at their first summit on April 27 the Panmunjeom Declaration calling for "complete" denuclearization of the peninsula and efforts to declare a formal end to the 1950-1953 Korean War by the end of this year.

The two leaders also held a surprise meeting on May 26 at the truce village of Panmunjeom after Trump revived hopes of his first meeting with Kim, which eventually took place on June 12 in Singapore.

Relations between the two Koreas drastically improved after Kim extended an olive branch, saying in his New Year's address on Jan. 1 that he would prepare for his country's participation in the Feb. 9-25 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics hosted by the South.

[Pyeongyang Press Corps]