North Korea Agrees to a Complete Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula

Posted on June 11, 2018
CNN Photo: US President Donald Trump shook the hand of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un when the two met Tuesday in Singapore.

UPDATED: 6/12/18  5:50AM

Singapore (Westwood One) – President Donald Trump says he really believes North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is going to make good on his promise to denuclearize.

Trump said Tuesday near the end of a lengthy press conference in Singapore that he may be wrong about Kim, but he’ll never admit it. Trump jokes that he “may stand before you in six months and say, `Hey, I was wrong.”’ But he says, “I don’t know that I’ll ever admit that.”

Trump appeared to be in a good spirits as he answered questions for almost an hour following a day of meetings with Kim and other North Korean officials. He ended by congratulating reporters and saying he’s eager to “take it a little bit easy” now that the highly anticipated summit is over.

White House releases Kim-Trump statement which read in part:

“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 U.S.–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.

-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.

-The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

-Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

-The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

Follow-up negotiations are forthcoming, but the two countries are committed to implementing the stipulations “fully and expeditiously.”

During the historic proceedings, President Donald Trump has stunned the Korean Peninsula by announcing the stoppage of U.S.-South Korean annual war games that have long been defended as defensive and vital by the allies. Trump spoke to reporters after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday and essentially took the North Korean line on the military exercises, calling them “provocative.”

The 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea. Trump called the war games “tremendously expensive,” suggested South Korea didn’t contribute enough and said they would be “inappropriate” as the U.S. and North Korea negotiate a new relationship. A statement from South Korean President Moon Jae-in says the Trump-Kim summit opens a new era of peace and cooperation. The statement did not address Trump’s ccomments about the drills. Seoul’s presidential office told the Associated Press that it was trying to discern the exact meaning and intent of Trump’s comments.

 

Original post:

SINGAPORE (AP) – President Donald Trump is predicting that he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will have “a terrific relationship” as they met face to face for the first time.

Trump said Tuesday after meeting Kim that he’s feeling “really great.” He says, “We’re going to have a great discussion and a terrific relationship.”

Kim says through an interpreter that it “was not easy to get here” and that there “were obstacles but we overcame them to be here.”

The two men met privately, then with various staff members at the table, and then moved into a working lunch.

(Copyright 2018, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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