US president Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un have come together for a momentous summit that could determine historic peace or raise the spectre of a growing nuclear threat, with Mr Mr Trump pledging that “working together we will get it taken care of.”
U. S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un during their first meetings at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Tuesday, June 12, 2018 in Singapore. Credit: AP In a meeting that seemed unthinkable just months ago, the leaders met at a Singapore island resort, shaking hands warmly in front of a row of alternating US and North Korean flags.
They then moved into a roughly 45-minute one-on-one meeting, joined only by their interpreters, before including their advisers.
A beaming Kim Jong Un shakes hands with Donald Trump. Credit: AP For all the upbeat talk, it remained to be seen what, if any, concrete results the sit-down would produce.
“We are going to have a great discussion and I think tremendous success. We will be tremendously successful,” Mr Mr Trump said before their private session.
Kim Jong Un could not contain his excitement that he was sat next to the US president. Credit: AP Mr Kim said through an interpreter: “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.”
In the run-up to the meeting, Mr Trump had predicted the two men might strike a nuclear deal or forge a formal end to the Korean War in the course of a single meeting or over several days.
The pair made history as they sat down together at a negotiation table. Credit: AP But on the eve of the summit, the White House unexpectedly announced Mr Trump would depart Singapore by Tuesday evening, raising questions about whether his aspirations for an ambitious outcome had been scaled back.
Huge motorcades took both leaders to the summit site in Singapore. Credit: AP Critics of the summit leapt at the handshake and the moonlight stroll Mr Kim took on Monday night along the glittering Singapore waterfront, saying it was further evidence that Mr Trump was helping legitimise Mr Kim on the world stage as an equal of the US president.
Mr Kim has been accused of horrific rights abuses against his people. During his stroll, crowds yelled out Mr Kim’s name and jostled to take pictures, and the North Korean leader posed for a selfie with Singapore officials.
The two leaders smile at crowds from a balcony. Credit: AP Mr Trump responded to that criticism on Tuesday on Twitter, saying: “The fact that I am having a meeting is a major loss for the US, say the haters & losers.”
But he added “our hostages” are back home and testing, research and launches have stopped.
A woman passes by a TV screen showing U.S. President Donald Trump, right, meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea. Credit: AP Mr Trump also tweeted: “Meetings between staffs and representatives are going well and quickly … but in the end, that doesn’t matter. We will all know soon whether or not a real deal, unlike those of the past, can happen!”
Last updated Tue 12 Jun 2018
