13/06/2018

Historic Singapore Trump-Kim Summit



Ivanka Trump @IvankaTrump

Trump & Kim’s joint declaration
Joint Statement of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at the Singapore Summit

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.

Convinced that the establishment of new U.S.-DPRK relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and of the world, and recognizing that mutual confidence building can promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un state the following:
  • 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 towards 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.
Having acknowledged that the U.S.-DPRK summit — the first in history — was an epochal event of great significance and overcoming decades of tensions and hostilities between the two countries and for the opening of a new future, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un commit to implement the stipulations in this joint statement fully and expeditiously.

The United States and the DPRK commit to hold follow-on negotiations led by the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and a relevant high-level DPRK official, at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes of the U.S.-DPRK summit.

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 have committed to cooperate for the development of new U.S.-DPRK relations and for the promotion of peace, prosperity, and security of the Korean Peninsula and of the world.

DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America

KIM JONG UN, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

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Trump, Kim agree on denuclearization, but deal seen symbolic

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged on Tuesday to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula while Washington committed to provide security guarantees for its old enemy.

The joint statement signed at the end of their historic summit in Singapore gave few details on how either goal would be achieved but Trump fleshed out some details at a news conference.
"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," said the statement.
DPRK is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the formal name of North Korea. Trump said he expected the denuclearization process to start "very, very quickly". U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean officials would hold follow-up negotiations "at the earliest possible date", the statement said. Trump told the news conference that the process would be verified, and that the verification "will involve having a lot of people in North Korea". He also said Kim had told him North Korea was destroying a major engine-testing site used for missiles, but maintained international sanctions on Pyongyang would stay in place for now.

Trump said joint military exercises with South Korea would be halted. He said the move would save Washington a tremendous amount of money and would not be revived "unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should". "Some things were agreed and not reflected in the agreement," Trump said.

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Trump And Kim Walk Off Into Sunset After Successful Summit

So that Trump-Kim summit that everyone has been talking about non-stop? Well, it’s officially over.

Mr Donald Trump became the first sitting American President to meet a North Korean leader when he met Mr Kim Jong-un at Capella Singapore on Tuesday (12 Jun). At around 1.40pm, the duo emerged from their working lunch to sign a couple of mysterious documents. “We have developed a very special bond,” Mr Trump said, speaking in superlatives as usual.

Mr Kim chimed in as well, saying the world would see a major change following the summit.

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Kim Jong Un vows to 'leave the past behind' after historic Singapore summit with Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un look on as documents are exchanged between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the North Korean leader's sister Kim Yo Jong. (Photo: AFP/Saul Loeb)

United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met for the first time in Singapore for a much-anticipated summit on Tuesday (Jun 12), which the latter hailed as "historic".

The leaders held talks for several hours along with delegates, before signing a document in which both committed to work towards the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

At the signing, both Kim and Trump expressed satisfaction at how their landmark meeting went - with the US leader saying it was "better than expected" as they negotiated an end to a decades-old stand-off.

related:
Joint statement signed by President Trump and Kim Jong Un at Singapore Summit
Kim Jong Un commits 'complete denuclearisation' in joint text with Trump at Summit

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NORTH KOREA WINS FIRST ROUND 3-2

The actual meeting of US President Donald Trump and North Korean paramount leader Kim Jong-un marks the end of what could be called the pre-summit period. In a sense this was the first round of negotiation.


Because much of this negotiation was public, whether the United States or North Korea won the pre-summit negotiations can be assessed by comparing each side’s agenda against the concessions made by the other side. Both governments had their respective victories, but Kim was the bigger winner.

Kim’s agenda includes two immediate goals: to alleviate the threat of a US preventive military strike against nuclear and missile facilities on North Korean territory, and to get the international community to lift economic sanctions against North Korea. Kim also hopes to earn international prestige for his government; to gain recognition, particularly from Washington, of North Korea as a nuclear weapon state; to move US troops off the Korean Peninsula; and to generally weaken the US-South Korea alliance.

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A meeting of equals: what we learned from the Trump and Kim handshake

Donald Trump has met the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, in a highly choreographed setting in Singapore. Here are five things we learned from the first moments of the first ever meeting between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.
  • Flags -The US and North Korean flags were lined up in an alternating pattern as the world waited for the two men to shake hands and pose for the cameras. The imagery was striking and a big win for Kim, who has worked to appear as an equal to the US president.
  • Choreography - Trump left his hotel first but arrived about seven minutes after Kim. The North Korean leader’s earlier arrival was reportedly a sign of respect to the older US president. The two men walked out together, with Trump extending his hand first.
  • The handshake - In what will surely be on the front pages of newspapers around the world, Trump and Kim shook hands in front of the flags of the two countries. The two men tried to speak to each other, but it ended awkwardly. Kim greeted Trump by saying “Nice to meet you, Mr. President” in English, according to South Korean media and based on reading his lips. The shake lasted 12 seconds, not nearly as long as Trump’s epic 26-second handshake with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. Trump was restrained in his grip, declining to do his signature arm yank, and tenderly gripped Kim’s elbow during the 12-second handshake.
  • Language - Trump described meeting Kim as an “honour” and said he had no doubt the two would have “a tremendous relationship”. At the same time, Kim acknowledged “old prejudices and practices” that kept US-North Korea relations frozen for decades.
  • Alone Time - Trump and Kim emerged from about 40 minutes of discussions between the two of them and their translators, with the US president describing the pair as having an “excellent relationship”. Trump previously said he would be able to tell in one minute if Kim was sincere about giving up his nuclear weapons.
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Trump-Kim Singapore summit: All the latest updates

Trump and Kim end private meeting
  • Trump and Kim have emerged from their one-on-one meeting, which lasted about 48 minutes.
  • Trump said the meeting was "very, very good" and that he and Kim have an "excellent relationship".
  • The two leaders then went into an expanded bilateral meeting, where they are joined by key advisers. 
  • After sitting down in the meeting room, Kim said we can expect "the dawn of peace" now that the "unhelpful past" has been left behind.
  • Trump said, "we will be successful".
  • On the US side, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Adviser John Bolton and Chief of Staff John Kelly joined. North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho and Kim Yong-chol, who has been described as Kim's right hand man, were among those who joined Kim at the table.
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Live Updates: Trump and Kim Jong-un Hold Private Meeting

President Trump and Kim Jong-un of North Korea held the first-ever meeting between leaders of their two countries on Tuesday morning in Singapore, getting together without any aides as they tried to end seven decades of hostility and the threat of a nuclear confrontation.

Shortly after 9 a.m., Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim walked toward each other and shook hands before the president put his hand on Mr. Kim’s shoulder before a bevy of cameras capturing the historic moment. They then went into their private meeting with only interpreters present before emerging less than an hour later for a second gathering, this time with aides.

At stake in the meeting is the American goal of ridding North Korea of its nuclear arsenal, Mr. Kim’s desire to remove American weapons from the Korean Peninsula and to be recognized as a player on the world stage, and the international desire to ease the North’s provocations, poverty and extreme isolation.

related: Is Donald Trump Ready to Meet Kim Jong-un?

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Singapore meeting begins as US and North Korean leaders shake hands – live
Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un shake hands before their meeting at Capella hotel in Singapore. Photograph: AP

Trump and Kim speak to the media before their talk

The leaders address the media before walking into their one-on-one discussion. Donald Trump says he is confident the talks will be a “tremendous success” and that “we will have a tremendous relationship, I have no doubt”.

Kim Jong-un says “it has not been easy to get here” and that “the old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles, but we have overcome them and we are here today”.

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Trump, Kim shake hands to open momentous summit

President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un kicked off a momentous summit Tuesday that could determine historic peace or raise the specter of a growing nuclear threat, with Trump declaring they would have a "great discussion" and Kim saying they had overcome obstacles to get to this point.

Standing on a red carpet in front of a row of alternating U.S. and North Korean flags, the leaders shook hands warmly at a Singapore island resort, creating an indelible image of the two unorthodox leaders. They then moved into a one-on-one meeting, joined only by their interpreters. "We are going to have a great discussion and I think tremendous success. We will be tremendously successful," Trump said.
Speaking through an interpreter, Kim said: "It wasn't easy for us to come here. There was a past that grabbed our ankles and wrong prejudices and practices that at times covered our eyes and ears. We overcame all that and we are here now."
Trump and Kim planned to meet with their interpreters for most of an hour before aides join the discussion and talks continue over a working lunch. But even before they met, Trump announced plans to leave Singapore early, raising questions about whether his aspirations for an ambitious outcome had been scaled back.

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The Guardian view on the US-North Korea summit: realism should trump hope

Roll up, roll up. There’s “excitement in the air!”, he tweets. Don’t call it diplomacy. The man doesn’t understand the meaning of the word. Don’t dignify it as negotiation. He has two modes: bullying and flattery. Even if concrete steps are agreed, this is, in essence, a spectacle. The US president will make history when (barring last minute upsets, not entirely impossible) he sits down with the leader of North Korea in Singapore. But he will do so only in the narrowest sense: that he is doing something unprecedented. His motives are too egotistical and essentially trivial for lasting progress; and there are good reasons why his predecessors didn’t go first.

Serious engagement between the US and North Korea is long overdue. Talking to enemies is hard but necessary – especially if the alternative is “fire and fury”. It must be done, however, in a spirit of realism, with a serious aim and with a strategy. The North Koreans have these things; they have waited decades for this; Donald Trump has not. His belated attempts to talk expectations down suggest he has begun to grasp some of the obstacles. All the more telling, then, that he still sees no need “to prepare very much”; “touch and feel” are what counts. There has been no cabinet-level planning meeting, usual before such an event. John Bolton may be currently out of favour, with Mr Trump relying on the marginally less hawkish Mike Pompeo. But the persistent – even inherent – dysfunction of the administration is alarming.

Nor can its members simply work around the president. Indeed, Mr Trump and Kim Jong-un will reportedly hold a brief initial meeting alone except for translators, stoking fears of a concession such as US troop withdrawal made on impulse – the same way he granted the summit. A catastrophic row is possible, too, if Mr Trump’s ego is dented. More likely is a flashy but insubstantial announcement to sate his vanity as a dealmaker: a statement that both sides seek denuclearisation, for example, glossing over their vast differences on the subject.

related: Live Trump-Kim summit

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“Mr Kim… we love you!”

Kim Jong-un was all smiles as he toured the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore.

But North Korean state television was only just beginning to report on his upcoming summit with US President Donald Trump.

It may seem late, but Mr Kim's activities are usually not reported on until he is safely back in North Korea.

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Trump and Kim: Clash of temperaments that could easily end in offence
Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un are “thin-skinned alphas” who love the media spotlight
JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

In the struggle to understand the remarkable summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, a truism has become established — that, for all the apparent differences between the two men, they share a good deal in common.

Both, the observation goes, were born into wealth and privilege. Both are capable of ad-hominem attacks on those who displease them; both love the media spotlight. “Thin-skinned alphas, both men are wedded to a go-it-alone leadership style, have a penchant for bombast and are determined to project dominance when they finally meet,” The Washington Post wrote.

“As President Trump prepares for his summit with Kim Jong-un, he sees some of himself in the authoritarian North Korean.”

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From Little Rocket man to Dear Kim: Drama all set for historic talks in Singapore

Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un started as arch-antagonists trading insults and threats of war. But now with Trump saying it’s Kim’s only shot at peace, the world is holding its breath waiting for their historic meeting in Singapore.

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Kim Jong Un brought his own toilet to the Singapore summit -- and he takes it everywhere

So, why does Kim Jong Un always travel with several lavatories at his disposal? According the The Chosun Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper, the portable toilets "will deny determined sewer divers insights into to the supreme leader's stools." The secrecy of the North Korean leader's health is, apparently, paramount.

"Rather than using a public restroom, the leader of North Korea has a personal toilet that follows him around when he travels," Lee Yun-keol, a former member of a North Korean Guard Command unit who defected, told the Washington Post in 2005. Lee explained, "The leader's excretions contain information about his health status so they can't be left behind." Kim's urine and faecal matter are periodically examined to check for illnesses and other health indicators, according to Daily NK.

US-North Korean relations have seemingly come a long way in the last few months - it was only January when a top authority on North Korea suggested that the US should bomb Kim Jong Un's personal toilet to put fear in him. "It will send an unmistakable message: We can kill you while you are dropping a deuce," Jeffrey Lewis wrote.

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Leave No Poop Behind: Kim Jong-un's Plane Brings Portable Toilet to Singapore

The leader of North Korea has arrived to Singapore in what has been a meticulously coordinated scheme shrouded in mystery. Instead of flying the Pyongyang-Shanghai-Singapore route that takes around six-and-a-half hours but passes over sea, Kim Jong-un flew via Beijing, which took around 10 hours. An aviation source in China said that "It probably cost a lot of money as well as representing a huge political burden to loan Kim the aircraft,” the publication Chosun Ilbo reported.
However, it was done to better protect the leader as routes over the sea are more difficult to safeguard. To further ensure the secrecy of the leader’s exact route, three planes took off from North Korea at about one hour’s interval: an Ilyushin IL-76, an Air China Boeing 747 and an Ilyushin IL-62.
According to FlightRadar24, a website that tracks the flights of various aircraft, thousands of people followed the progress of Kim Jong-un’s plane. One diplomatic source in Singapore said that "Tension was very high in North Korea, hence the secrecy." First to arrive in Singapore was the IL-76 transport plane carrying food and other belongings of the DPRK’s leader, as well as his bullet-proof limousine and a portable toilet.
“Keeping Kim’s stool out of others’ reach also prevents details about his health status from leaking to the public,” Lee Yun-keol, a North Korean defector who was previously a North Korean guard command, told the Washington Post.
He went on to say that rather than using a public restroom, the leader has a personal toilet that follows him around when he travels. “The leader’s excretions contain information about his health status so they can’t be left behind,” Yun-keol said.

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How Kim Jong Un will play Trump at their summit in Singapore

A few years ago, back when I was a correspondent in Moscow, I had the opportunity to interview a leading member of the Russian mafia. He was a notorious figure. Tales abounded of his ruthlessness, his Machiavellian maneuverings, his utter contempt for human life. So, to be honest, I was a little nervous when they finally ushered me into his office.

The man who presented himself to me had little in common with his popular image. He was friendly and charming and did everything he could to put me at ease. He answered all of my questions and took no offense at any of them. (He denied any ties to organized crime, though he was notably vague when I asked for details of his business operations. “Commercial secret,” he said, smiling.) His office decor reinforced the impression of a reasonable and thoughtful businessman. He was, apparently, a person of great piety: The wall behind his desk was covered with icons. There were also plaques commemorating his many charitable activities – one of them, I recall, from the Russian equivalent of the Police Benevolent Association.

In the end I wasn’t able to write up the story, for reasons too complicated to go into here. But the experience offered a vivid exercise in image management. If you’re a mobster, a fearsome reputation can bring dividends when you decide to put on a nice face for the public. You just have to defy expectations.

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The Best – and Worst – That Can Happen in Singapore
Who will win? Those guys on the far right.  Photographer: Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images

When Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met in Moscow in 1988 to discuss nuclear reductions, Reagan compared it to appearing in an epic cinematic production by Cecil B. DeMille. By this he meant more than, as he put it, "being dropped into a great historical moment." He was also noting that much, if not most, of the interaction between the two leaders had been pre-scripted as tightly as a Hollywood blockbuster.

This included months of direct meetings between the leaders' top aides; negotiations over a list of 20 proposed prospective events prepared by Nancy Reagan's staff; even the creation a "focus group" of voters in Philadelphia on which to test Reagan's lines. The only surprise was when Gorbachev quoted a Russian proverb that was supposed to be part of Reagan's welcoming speech. Reagan improvised by repeating the line, but crediting Gorbachev on his "wonderful phrase": "It is better to see once than hear a hundred times."

In contrast, next week's Singapore summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un has been preceded by a paucity of seeing, hearing or communication of any kind. Singapore was chosen less than a month ago. The venue, an island resort, was announced only days ago. And, with less than five days to go as of this writing, there is no word on when Trump will even arrive.

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How 11 US presidents failed to make peace with North Korea
Former US President Jimmy Carter meets North Korea leader Kim Il-sung on June 17, 1994 during what the Clinton administration called a 'private trip' to Pyongyang [File photo: AP]

Contrary to popular perception, the core issue to be resolved at the June 12 summit - and any subsequent meetings - between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is not North Korea's denuclearisation. Pyongyang's willingness to denuclearise is already clear.

What is not clear, however, is whether the US is prepared to give North Korea the guarantee of its security which is its main demand. There is no doubt that Pyongyang can disable and dismantle its nuclear arsenal. It is only a question of process.

But it will not do so if the US insists on unilateral denuclearisation without any reciprocal commitment. To paraphrase George Kennan, a renowned US diplomat: A concept of national security that fails to concede the same legitimacy to the security needs of others lays itself open to moral reproach.

related: Trump-Kim Singapore summit: All the latest updates

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History of US-North Korea deals shows hard part is making them stick
Pyongyang 1994: The former US president Jimmy Carter shares a boat ride with the North Korean leader Kim Il-sung weeks before Kim’s death. Photograph: KCNA

It is Donald Trump’s recurring boast that with the Singapore summit with Kim Jong-un, he has succeeded in negotiations with North Korea where his predecessors failed. But the claim obscures a long history of agreements made and broken by both countries.

The lesson of two major deals, in 1994 and 2005, is that it is much easier to reach agreements than to implement them. In fact, the complex, fraught process of implementation has usually brought with it new flashpoints and new crises.

Trump’s looming Singapore summit with Kim will be the first meeting between US and North Korean leaders, but that is largely because previous US presidents have balked at giving the Pyongyang regime such recognition and prestige without substantive progress towards disarmament.

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What an End to the 68-Year Korean War Would Mean

As neighborly disputes go, this one really has dragged on. Some 65 years since open hostilities ended, North and South Korea are still technically at war. However, after a sudden warming of relations this year, Kim Jong Un became the first North Korean leader to visit South Korea on April 27. He held talks with his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, together reaching an agreement to put an end to hostilities this year.
  • Why is the Korean War still not over?
  • What did Kim and Moon agree on?
  • Have the two countries come close to peace before?
  • What came of that peace effort?
  • Would peace lead to economic ties?
  • How far apart are the two Koreas economically?
related: The two Koreas are worlds apart after seven decades of separation

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Trump Kim Summit 2018 1 hr

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Elise Hu @elisewho

South Korea's president and prime minister together watched a live stream of the summit opening. You can see their reaction on their faces

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#TrumpKimSummit

@boricuatwit 4 minutes ago

Peace, What Peace !!! Stupid Show of two Stupid Presidents #TrumpKimSummit

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Singapore Summit @SingaporeSummit

Singapore Summit is one of the foremost events for business and thought leaders to discuss growth, prosperity and stability opportunities and challenges.

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We are here to serve tea and coffee


Lee Hsien Loong 10 June at 21:42

#FBLIVE: PM Lee meeting with US President Donald J. Trump at the Istana today. This is Mr Trump’s first visit to Singapore as the President. He is here for the DPRK-US Singapore Summit due to take place tomorrow. 


(PMO Video)

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