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| U.S. President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and President Moon Jae-in, right, at the border village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone, South Korea, Sunday, June 30. Joint Press Corps |
Trump invites Kim Jong-un to White House
By Kim Yoo-chul, Joint Press Corps
SEOUL/PANMUNJEOM _ U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed Sunday to resume their countries denuclearization talks that have been stalled since the collapse of their second summit in Hanoi.
This was followed by the U.S. president saying his historic encounter with Kim at Panmunjeom was a "very good moment and great.
"We just had a very, very good meeting with Chairman Kim," the U.S. president told reporters after the North Korean leader departed. "We've agreed that we're each going to designate a team. The teams will try to work out some details. The teams will begin working and meeting over the next two to three weeks."
Trump told Kim he was unhappy to see continued economic sanctions on North Korea.
U.S. special representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun had a five-minute talk with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Sun-hui while the Trump-Kim meeting was taking place.
At the DMZ, President Moon Jae-in praised the U.S. president's decision to meet with Kim at the Demilitarized Zone, saying, "Today's meeting will definitely accelerate efforts for peace on the Korean Peninsula as well as denuclearization," according to press pool reports.
No joint declaration or agreements were made, but Trump and President Moon indicated that sanctions could be relaxed if the nuclear disarmament dialogue "goes well." In Hanoi, Washington refused to accept Pyongyang's repeated requests for a partial easing of sanctions. Trump and Kim walked away from the meeting without any results.
"I would invite Kim Jong-un, right now, to the White House," Trump said. No North Korean head of state has ever travelled to Washington.
"My friend, good afternoon," was the first thing Trump said to Kim at the DMZ that divides the two Koreas. Kim responded: "It's great to see you again."
After they shared a brief conversation, Kim asked Trump to briefly cross the military demarcation line (MDL) and the U.S. president obligingly took 20 steps inside the North, making history as the first incumbent U.S. president to set foot on North Korean soil.
They had brief conversations and posed for photos together there before walking across into the South.
"You asked me to step over the line. I thought you might do that, but wasn't sure. This could be a very historic moment and I enjoy being with you and thank you very much," Trump said.
The U.S. president also invited Kim to the White House, however, it was unclear whether or not the North Korean leader accepted the invitation immediately.
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| President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the demilitarized zone, Sunday, June 30. AP-Yonhap |
The leaders of the two Koreas and the U.S. then held a historic summit after President Moon let Trump and Kim continue their conversation for a while without him. Pool reporters were asked to leave the room, while Trump and Kim held a closed-door de-facto "third summit."
Moon's chief press secretary Yoon Do-han declined to comment about the content of the 53-minute discussion between Trump and Kim.
Prior to the meeting with Kim, Moon and Trump toured the Ouellette Observation Post inside the DMZ that overlooks North Korean territory for five minutes with a senior USFK officer. They then had a brief meeting with USFK and South Korean soldiers in a small banquet hall at Freedom House inside the DMZ.
"This is the first time in history that the presidents of the United States and South Korea have jointly visited the DMZ. Now, the DMZ is being transformed from a symbol of hostility to one of peace. You are witnessing a great change," President Moon told the troops. President Trump said, "You are special group of people and I really appreciate it, appreciate it very much. So, this was scheduled month ago. We didn't give much notice. We respect each other."
In the evening, after giving a speech to U.S. troops at Osan Air Base in Pyoengtaek, Trump left for Washington D.C.
