South Korea’s foreign minister on Wednesday said her country is considering lifting some of its unilateral sanctions against North Korea in an effort to improve relations and defuse the nuclear crisis. Kang Kyung-wha told South Korean lawmakers the government is reviewing sanctions Seoul imposed on Pyongyang in 2010 following a deadly attack on a warship that killed 45 South Korean sailors, effectively shutting down all cross-border economic cooperation.

PAKISTAN: The Supreme Court heard Monday an appeal in the long-standing case of Asia Bibi, the Christian mother charged with blasphemy, but withheld its decision without indicating when it would rule. The hardline Islamic Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan party warned of “terrible consequences” should Bibi, who has been sentenced to death, be granted leniency.

North and South Korean troops on Monday began removing landmines from their heavily fortified border following agreements the two nations reached last month, according to South Korean officials. The South Korean defense ministry released a statement saying the countries would remove the landmines from the Demilitiarized Zone within the next 20 days. South Korea deployed army engineers to the border village of Panmunjom and Arrow Head Hill, where the two nations plan to launch their first joint searches for soldiers killed in the Korean War.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday said he would deliver a private message to U.S. President Donald Trump from North Korea regarding the denuclearization standoff. Moon said he would bring the message during the United Nations General Assembly session in New York next week. Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un just wrapped up a three-day summit, which began Tuesday in Pyongyang, to discuss denuclearization and reunification efforts.

NORTH KOREA: North and South Korea heads of state said they would turn the Korean Peninsula into a “land of peace without nuclear weapons and nuclear threats.” North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to permanently abolish key missile facilities in the presence of foreign experts—a crucial verification requirement.

North and South Korea on Wednesday said the North would shut down key nuclear facilities if the United States took reciprocal measures. In a joint statement following a closed-door meeting at their ongoing summit this week, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said North Korea would close the Dongchang-ri missile engine testing facility and missile launch pad. The leaders did not specify what reciprocal measures they wanted the United States to take.

At a summit that began in Pyongyang Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told South Korean President Moon Jae-in that his June meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump helped stabilize regional security. Kim thanked Moon for brokering the meeting with Trump in Singapore as the two Korean leaders launched their third summit this year to discuss denuclearization, promote ties, and reduce military tension between their countries. Moon in turn thanked Kim for his “bold decision to open a new era.” The two leaders will meet again Wednesday before Moon returns to Seoul on Thursday.