Tag: Kim Jong Un

N. Korea’s Kim knows denuclearization must be ‘quick’: Pompeo

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea’s Kim Jong Un understands that denuclearization must happen “quickly”, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday, warning there will be no sanctions relief for Pyongyang until the process is complete. Washington remained committed to the “complete, verifiable and irreversible” denuclearization of North Korea, Pompeo added, after the joint statement from the historic US-North Korea summit in Singapore drew criticism for lack of detail on the key issue. “We […]

Kim invites Trump to visit Pyongyang as North hails ‘radical switchover’

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Kim Jong Un invited Donald Trump to visit North Korea during their historic summit and the US President accepted, Pyongyang state media reported Wednesday, calling it the start of a “radical switchover” in the nuclear-armed Cold War foes’ fraught relations. The unprecedented encounter in Singapore Tuesday saw the leader of the world’s most powerful democracy shake hands with the third generation scion of a dynastic dictatorship, standing as equals […]

Trump, Kim hail historic summit; questions over way forward

by Andrew BEATTY / Sebastien BERGER Agence France-Presse SINGAPORE, Singapore – Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un hailed their historic summit Tuesday as a breakthrough in relations between Cold War foes, but their agreement was short on details about the key issue of Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons. The unprecedented encounter in Singapore saw the leader of the world’s most powerful democracy shake hands with the third generation scion of a dynastic dictatorship, standing as equals in […]

Trump’s vow to end US-SKorea drills catches Pentagon off guard

by Thomas WATKINS Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States – Pentagon officials were surprised Tuesday after President Donald Trump vowed at his summit with the North’s leader Kim Jong Un to cancel “provocative” joint military drills with South Korea. Following the unprecedented meeting in Singapore, Trump stunned observers when he said continuing the exercises routinely held between the US and South Korea would be “inappropriate” while Washington fleshes out a comprehensive deal with Pyongyang. “We will […]

Kim vows to ‘leave the past behind’

SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — North Korea and the US have decided to “leave the past behind”, Pyongyang’s leader Kim Jong Un said after his summit with President Donald Trump. “Today, we had a historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind and we are about to sign a historic document,” Kim said, thanking Trump for making the meeting happen and adding: “The world will see a major change.” © Agence France-Presse

Trump says ‘a lot of progress’ made in historic Kim meeting

by Andrew BEATTY / Richard CARTER Agence France Presse SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — US President Donald Trump said Tuesday there had been a “lot of progress” in his historic talks with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, and the pair were expected to sign a document together. The first-ever summit between sitting leaders of the two Cold War foes went “better than anybody could have expected”, Trump said as he strolled in the gardens of […]

Kim says N. Korea and US have overcome obstacles to hold summit

SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — North Korea and the United States have overcome the obstacles of a difficult history to hold their summit in Singapore, the North’s leader Kim Jong Un said as the unprecedented meeting opened Tuesday. “The way to come to here was not easy,” Kim said, sitting at a table with Trump. “The old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward but we overcame all of them and we are […]

Trump, Kim share historic handshake

by Andrew BEATTY / Richard CARTER Agence France Presse SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un made history Tuesday, becoming the first sitting US and North Korean leaders to meet and shake hands, as they seek to end a tense decades-old nuclear stand-off. The two men strode toward each other and shared the momentous handshake beneath the white-washed walls of an upscale hotel in neutral Singapore, before sitting down for a half-day […]

Kim motorcade leaves hotel ahead of Trump summit

SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s motorcade left his Singapore hotel Tuesday for his unprecedented summit with US President Donald Trump. A North Korean flag flew from Kim’s limousine as it drove to the summit venue in a convoy of about 20 vehicles, with onlookers lining the street and taking pictures. © Agence France-Presse

Trump, Kim to meet for historic handshake

by Andrew BEATTY Agence France-Presse SINGAPORE, Singapore – Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un will make history on Tuesday, becoming the first sitting US and North Korean leaders to meet, shake hands and negotiate to end a decades-old nuclear stand-off. The extraordinary summit — unthinkable only months ago — comes after the two nuclear-armed foes appeared on the verge of conflict late last year as they slung personal insults and Kim conducted nuclear and missile […]

Kim, Trump in countdown to historic summit

  by Andrew Beatty / Sebastien Berger © Agence France-Presse SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un were making last-minute preparations Monday on the eve of their historic summit, as officials scrambled to narrow yawning differences over Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal. Tuesday’s meeting will be the first time a serving US president has sat down with the leader of North Korea, and comes just months after fears of conflict soared as the two traded […]

US, N. Korea officials in final summit preparations

  by Sebastien Berger © Agence France-Presse SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — North Korean and US negotiators met in Singapore Monday for final preparations on the eve of an unprecedented summit between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump, seeking to bridge the gaps over Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal. Tuesday’s meeting will be the first between a sitting US president and a leader of North Korea, whose nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions have raised global concerns and seen tensions […]