“The ministers welcome the outcome of the summit, which could enhance inter-Korean relations for the betterment of the Korean peoples,” they said in a statement issued on Friday during a meeting in Singapore.

At their summit on Friday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to pursue a permanent peace and complete denuclearisation.

The Asean ministers said they were encouraged by the positive development to work towards reducing tensions and the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the divided peninsula, according to the statement.

The situation in the Korean peninsula has been in Asean focus for a long time. North Korea is a member of the Asean Regional Forum, which is the lone channel for Pyongyang to engage with Asean and to consult with other key stakeholders such as the United States, Japan, China and South Korea.