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 […]
Tag: North Korea
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 […]
N. Korean leader Kim arrives in Singapore for historic Trump summit
Singapore (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Singapore Sunday for an unprecedented summit with Donald Trump, an attempt to address the last festering legacy of the Cold War, with the US president calling it a “one time shot” at peace. Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal — which has seen it subjected to several sets of UN Security Council sanctions and threatened with military action by the Trump administration — will top the […]
US, North Korea: face-to-face after decades of tension
(AFP)- With US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, poised to meet Tuesday, here is a recap of the decades of tensions between their countries: – Divided Korean peninsula – The Soviet Union declares war on Japan, Korea’s colonial power, in the closing days of World War II and Washington and Moscow agree to divide the peninsula into two zones of occupation along the 38th parallel. Two rival states emerge in […]
S. Korea seeks ‘early’ agreement on ending Korean War
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Seoul is in three-way talks with Pyongyang and Washington for an early agreement on formally ending the decades-old Korean War, it said Thursday ahead of a summit between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump in Singapore next week. The 1950-53 conflict ceased with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two sides technically at war, and US President Donald Trump said last week that it would be […]
Trump hosts Japan PM, five days before summit with Kim
by Jerome Cartillier © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — With less than a week to go before meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, US President Donald Trump plays host Thursday to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who wants his voice heard ahead of the unprecedented talks. Trump and Abe will hold a joint press conference at the White House in the early afternoon, before heading to Canada for what promises to be […]
Singapore to mint Trump-Kim commemorative medallion
SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Singapore will strike commemorative medallions to mark the historic meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the city-state next week. The medallions will depict an “affirmative handshake” between the two leaders, the scheduled date of the summit, and the flags of both countries, the Singapore Mint said in a statement Tuesday. At the back are the national flowers of both countries — roses for […]
Could opposites attract at Trump-Kim summit?
by Sebastien Berger © Agence France-Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — When Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un sit down in Singapore next week it will be among the most improbable diplomatic summits in history, with principals who could not be more different — but who also share some surprising similarities. Trump was the oldest US president ever to take office when he was sworn in last year, and will turn 72 two days after […]
US Democrats to Trump: Don’t spoil historic opportunity with N. Korea
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US Democrats on Monday urged President Donald Trump not to squander the “historic” opportunity of a face-to-face summit with North Korea’s leader, as the lawmakers opposed any easing of sanctions without complete and verifiable denuclearization. Affirming their support for Trump’s scheduled June 12 meeting with Kim Jong Un in Singapore, seven influential Democrats including Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warned Trump against signing a deal at any cost, and laid […]
US-NKorea summit on June 12 confirmed, Trump says after meeting Kim envoy
by Andrew Beatty and Dave Clark Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump said Friday he will meet North Korea’s Kim Jong Un as originally scheduled on June 12 for a historic summit after extraordinary Oval Office talks with a top envoy from Pyongyang. Speaking after more than an hour of talks with Kim Yong Chol in the Oval Office, Trump told reporters that denuclearization — and a formal […]
Koreas hold high-level talks ahead of Trump-Kim summit
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North and South Korea held high-level talks Friday to discuss their ongoing efforts to improve ties ahead of a landmark meeting between US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un. The North-South discussions were originally scheduled for earlier this month but were abruptly called off by Pyongyang in response to a joint US-South Korea air force drill. But a day after “Max Thunder” ended May 25, the North’s leader had […]





