Trump and Kim promise ‘changed world’ as historic summit ends
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore. (Reuters)
President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un concluded an extraordinary summit Tuesday with lofty promises by the American president to take care of a "very dangerous problem" and Kim forecasting "major change for the world."
They signed a document that Trump described as "pretty comprehensive," but he declined to describe it, saying the details would be revealed later. The document signing followed a series of meetings at a luxury Singapore resort.
Meeting with staged ceremony on a Singapore island, Trump and Kim came together for a summit that seemed just unthinkable months ago, clasping hands in front of a row of alternating U.S. and North Korean flags, holding a one-on-one meeting, additional talks with advisers and a working lunch.
Throughout the summit that could chart the course for historic peace or raise the specter of a growing nuclear threat, both leaders expressed optimism. Kim called the sit-down a "good prelude for peace" and Trump pledged that "working together we will get it taken care of."
In advance of their private session, Trump predicted "tremendous success" while Kim said through an interpreter that "we have come here after overcoming" obstacles.
Aware that the eyes of the world were on a moment many people never expected to see, Kim said many of those watching would think it was a scene from a "science fiction movie."
Handshake Earlier, before a row of alternating US and North Korean flags, the leaders shared a warm 13-second handshake at a Singapore island resort, creating an indelible image of two unorthodox leaders as they opened a conversation that could determine historic peace or raise the specter of a growing nuclear threat.
Trump and Kim planned to meet one on one for most of an hour- joined only by interpreters. Then aides to each were to join for more discussions and a working lunch. But even before they met, Trump announced plans to leave early, raising questions about whether his aspirations for an ambitious outcome had been scaled back.
Trump, in a tweet hours before his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, said staff-level meetings between the United States and North Korea were “going well and quickly.”
But he said: “in the end, that doesn’t matter. We will all know soon whether or not a real deal, unlike those of the past, can happen!”
For his part, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Monday that he hopes Trump and Kim “generously” consider each other’s demands and meet the people’s wish for a new era for the Korean Peninsula.
“I hope that a major agreement on ending hostile relations (between US and North Korea) and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is reached through this time’s summit,” Moon said.
Joint Statement of President Donald J. Trump and Kim Jong Un at the Singapore Summit:
President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a first, historic summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018.
President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new US–DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Convinced that the establishment of new U.S.–DPRK relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and of the world, and recognizing that mutual confidence building can promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un state the following:
1. The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new U.S.–DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity. 2. The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. 3. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. 4. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.Having acknowledged that the US–DPRK summit—the first in history—was an epochal event of great significance in overcoming decades of tensions and hostilities between the two countries and for the opening up of a new future, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un commit to implement the stipulations in this joint statement fully and expeditiously.The United States and the DPRK commit to hold follow-on negotiations, led by the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and a relevant high-level DPRK official, at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes of the US–DPRK summit. President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea have committed to cooperate for the development of new US–DPRK relations and for the promotion of peace, prosperity, and security of the Korean Peninsula and of the world.
NEWS AGENCIES