June 12th. Remember the date.... as you are going to be hearing it a lot over the coming weeks.
That's when U.S. President Donald Trump will hold his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
As for the location?
No real surprises there.... as the widely speculated venue of Singapore was confirmed as the setting for the talks.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
It was the announcement the world had been waiting for.
U.S. President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Thursday to confirm that his summit with Kim Jong-un will take place in Singapore on Tuesday June 12th,... adding that they will "both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace".
Trump's announcement came a matter of hours after he welcomed home three Americans who had been imprisoned in North Korea.
Experts say North Korea's denuclearization will dominate the agenda of the Singapore talks.
President Trump's aim is the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the regime.
Kim, for his part, has repeatedly expressed a commitment to abandon the regime's nuclear weapons program,... despite being unclear on what the terms are.
Singapore has also confirmed it will play host to the summit.
Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Thursday,... that the "meeting will advance prospects for peace in the Korean Peninsula".
Observers say the Southeast Asian financial hub was likely chosen due to its neutrality, security advantages and track record of hosting international summits.
But why June 12th?
Watchers say the date was chosen strategically,... as Singapore hosts the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, a defense forum attended by heads of states, defense ministers and high level military officials from June 1st to the 3rd,.... while the 44th G7 summit in Canada,... will take place from June 8th to the 9th.
Now that the venue and date has been set,... the world waits to see if Singapore will host a meeting that ushers in a new era of denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.