India today welcomed the development of US President Donald Trump agreeing to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un but noted that any solution to the Korean peninsula issue must address concerns about the proliferation linkages of Pyongyang.

New Delhi:

Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs, said India hoped that such engagement would help in reducing tensions and would pave the way for lasting peace and reconciliation in the Korean peninsula.

"We have noted the comments of the senior official of Republic of Korea (South Korea) regarding DPRK's (North Korea) proposal to hold talks with the US and the positive response from the US. We welcome these developments," he said.

Kumar added that India supports all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy.

"As we have said before, we also believe that any solution to the issues in Korean peninsula must also take into account and address concerns about the proliferation linkages of DPRK's nuclear and missile programme," Kumar said.

In the past, India had sought a probe into North Korea's nuclear proliferation linkages and demanded that those responsible for it should be held accountable.

This is also seen as veiled reference to Pakistan.

It is widely believed that Pyongyang had clandestinely received nuclear enrichment technology from Pakistan when A Q Khan was at the helm of Islamabad's nuclear programme.

The White House today announced that US President Donald Trump has agreed to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by May, setting the stage for an unprecedented summit between the two leaders following months of tension over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes.