GettyUS President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met in Singapore this morning, (June 12) to hold talks.
While details of what the two leaders discussed are yet to be revealed, the meeting is a historic one, with Trump saying ‘a lot of progress’ has been made.
The pair met privately for 38 minutes and then emerged to sign a document, which Trump called ‘comprehensive’, with reports suggesting it refers to issues such as human rights, sanctions, economic aid, disarmament or even denuclearisation.
Kim Jong-un said they had a ‘historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind’, before thanking Trump ‘for making this meeting happen’.
After their meet, President Trump told reporters:
We’re very proud of what happened today. Our whole relationship with North Korea and the Korean peninsula will be a much different situation than it has in the past.
Kelly O’Donnell, White House correspondent at NBC News, tweeted:
When asked if they are going to denuclearize “We’re starting that proess very, very quickly”
When asked if they are going to denuclearize “We’re starting that process very, very quickly “ @realDonaldTrump
— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) June 12, 2018
Trump added how it’d been ‘a terrific day’ and described Kim Jong-un – who once called the American leader a ‘dotard’ – ‘a very talented man and he loves his country very much.’
Matt Stiles, a reporter for the LA Times in Seoul, tweeted:
“Absolutely, I will” — @realDonaldTrump on whether he would invite Kim Jong Un to the White House. #KimTrump [sic]
"Absolutely, I will." — @realDonaldTrump on whether he would invite Kim Jong Un to the White House. #KimTrump
— Matt Stiles (@stiles) June 12, 2018
Chinese Foreign Minister Wany Yi called the meeting ‘historic’.
Beijing has applauded the summit between the two world leaders, saying the fact the two men ‘can sit together and have equal talks has important and positive meaning, and is creating a new history’, the BBC reports.
He also reiterated Beijing’s call for “full denuclearisation” to resolve tensions on the Korean peninsula.
Trump stated he would address the media ‘later’ as he now makes his journey back to Singapore. The pair’s meeting took place on the island of Sentosa.
Many feel the summit amounts to a huge victory for the North Korean leader, especially given the comments Trump has made about him previously.
The BBC’s Rupert Wingfield-Hayes said:
It’s a very big win for Trump to be saying the whole relationship is different from the past and he’s honoured to be with him.
These are extraordinary things to be saying about a man who just a few months ago was being described as ‘little rocket man’ and considered as the leader of a regime that was reviled around the world.
GettyThere are said to be four key points from the Trump-Kim Declaration:
1. The United States and the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] commit to establish new US-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 towards the complete denuclearisation 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.
I guess time will tell how productive this meeting was – watch this space…
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.