Trump says June 12 Singapore summit back on after meeting with N. Korea's former spy chief
- 6 years ago
The North Korea-U.S. summit is back on... according to President Donald Trump, just a week after he cancelled it. He has now confirmed that he WILL sit down with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12th, just 10 days from now.
This comes after he met with senior North Korean official Kim Yong-chol at the Oval Office on Friday.
Our Blue House correspondent Hwang Hojun has this report. At least for now, the diplomatic tug-of-war seems to be over.
"The meeting went very well. We'll be meeting on June 12th in Singapore."
President Trump was speaking after his more than 90-minute-long meeting at the White House with Kim Yong-chol, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's top aide.
Kim Yong-chol is the first senior North Korean official to visit the White House in 18 years.
He presented a personal letter from Kim Jong-un to President Trump; the content of which has not been disclosed.
The U.S. leader did not shy away from showing hospitality to his guest, escorting him around the White House grounds and personally sending him off after the meeting.
Friday's meeting came after weeks of Washington and Pyongyang butting heads over the process of North Korea's denuclearization.
At one point, President Trump nixed the much-anticipated meeting, citing North Korea's belligerent rhetoric.
After a conciliatory statement from the North, Trump put summit preparations back on track, and since then, officials from both sides have continued to fine-tune logistical details while meeting at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom as well as in Singapore.
And following his meeting with North Korea's former spy chief, President Trump revealed the two even discussed the matter of possibly ending the Korean War that's technically been going on for several decades.
Trump, however, tried to downplay the significance of his upcoming meeting with Kim Jong-un, calling it a quote "getting-to-know-you meeting."
He stressed he had never planned to sign anything on the day of the summit and emphasized that he's not expecting a quick and easy solution.
"And I think it'll be a process. I never said it goes in one meeting. I think it's going to be a process. But the relationships are building, and that's a very positive thing."
But rather, he said he expects more summits to come.
South Korea welcomed Washington and Pyongyang's decision.
According to a statement by the Blue House spokesperson, the Presidential Office said it will quote "excitedly but calmly look forward to the historic Singapore meeting."
Hwang Hojun, Arirang News.
This comes after he met with senior North Korean official Kim Yong-chol at the Oval Office on Friday.
Our Blue House correspondent Hwang Hojun has this report. At least for now, the diplomatic tug-of-war seems to be over.
"The meeting went very well. We'll be meeting on June 12th in Singapore."
President Trump was speaking after his more than 90-minute-long meeting at the White House with Kim Yong-chol, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's top aide.
Kim Yong-chol is the first senior North Korean official to visit the White House in 18 years.
He presented a personal letter from Kim Jong-un to President Trump; the content of which has not been disclosed.
The U.S. leader did not shy away from showing hospitality to his guest, escorting him around the White House grounds and personally sending him off after the meeting.
Friday's meeting came after weeks of Washington and Pyongyang butting heads over the process of North Korea's denuclearization.
At one point, President Trump nixed the much-anticipated meeting, citing North Korea's belligerent rhetoric.
After a conciliatory statement from the North, Trump put summit preparations back on track, and since then, officials from both sides have continued to fine-tune logistical details while meeting at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom as well as in Singapore.
And following his meeting with North Korea's former spy chief, President Trump revealed the two even discussed the matter of possibly ending the Korean War that's technically been going on for several decades.
Trump, however, tried to downplay the significance of his upcoming meeting with Kim Jong-un, calling it a quote "getting-to-know-you meeting."
He stressed he had never planned to sign anything on the day of the summit and emphasized that he's not expecting a quick and easy solution.
"And I think it'll be a process. I never said it goes in one meeting. I think it's going to be a process. But the relationships are building, and that's a very positive thing."
But rather, he said he expects more summits to come.
South Korea welcomed Washington and Pyongyang's decision.
According to a statement by the Blue House spokesperson, the Presidential Office said it will quote "excitedly but calmly look forward to the historic Singapore meeting."
Hwang Hojun, Arirang News.