Kim Jong Un prepares to meet world leaders

North Korean leader Kim Jong An is planning an unprecedented fl ight of summits with world leaders, as he steps up President U.S. President Donald Trump.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in told parliament Thursday that Kim would likely visit Russia and South Korea "soon" while he expected Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Pyongyang in the near future. Moon, who made the remarks while outlining next year's budget, said the North Korean leader could also possibly hold a separate meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

For those keeping score, here's the latest list of summits Kim's considering:

The agenda shows how the recipe for the North Korean leader's diplomatic isolation has fallen away since Trump delivered the first-ever summit between sitting leaders of the two countries in June. Kim has used that legitimacy to lobby for relief from international sanctions, while resisting U.S. calls to give up his nuclear weapons program.

Moon has been a key proponent of Kim's outreach effort, pressing ahead with plans to deepen cooperation between the two Koreas and last month inviting Pope Francis to visit Pyongyang. The details of Kim's busy schedule are among several developments:

DMZ Ease Tensions

On Thursday, the heavily fortified border separating North and South Korea is one of the biggest differences between the two leaders. Kim and Moon's agreement in September to cease all "hostile activities" on the border, including live-fire drills and field training, took effect Nov. 1.

"Chung Eui-yong, South Korea's national security adviser, told a briefing Thursday," The deal is a crucial turning point to reduce military tensions. South Korea moved its exercises away from the military demarcation line, which serves as a borderline, and covered or shut down the artillery near their sea boundary. North Korea also recently shut down some artillery facilities near the western sea border.

'Vicious' Penalties

As Kim boosts ties with South Korea – China and Russia – he's stepping up his complaints about the sanctions crimping plans to develop his impoverished economy. He was most blunt criticism of the restrictions while visiting the Wonsan, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

"The hostile forces are foolishly keen on vicious sanctions," KCNA quoted Kim as saying, without specifying who he was referring to. "They will be made to have their own strengths of times defying hardship."

Trump Summit?

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo held out the prospect for a second Trump-Kim summit, which has been delayed in the first phase. Pompeo said Wednesday during an appearance on Fox News's "Laura Ingraham Show" that the two leaders would probably meet up when "we can make a substantial breakthrough in the nuclear threat from North Korea."

Trump declared that North Korea was "no longer a nuclear threat" after the first summit in Singapore. Pompeo said he would speak to his "North Korean counterpart" next week to discuss progress, even though working-level negotiations involving the appointed envoy in August, Stephen Biegun, still have not started.

Changing of the Guard

On Wednesday, the U.S. and South Korean Defense Chiefs agreed to a plan for the Korean Peninsula. Although unrelated to the recent detente with Kim, America's postwar troop presence in the region.

The document is out of the ordinary for a "conditions-based transition" – including keeping the U.S. general as deputy commander – while guaranteeing that the American troops would continue to be stationed in South Korea. Defense Secretary James Mattis and South Korean counterpart Jeong Kyeong-doo also agreed to conduct a joint study next year to badess the alliance's role after North Korea's "final, fully verified denuclearization."