Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

US, N Korea strike ‘comprehensive’ deal as curtain falls on historic S’pore summit

SINGAPORE — United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a joint statement to begin a process of “complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula” at an historic summit meeting in Singapore on Tuesday (June 12).

President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un leave after signing documents at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore.

President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un leave after signing documents at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore.

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

SINGAPORE — United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a joint statement to begin a process of “complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula” at an historic summit meeting in Singapore on Tuesday (June 12).

In what he called a “comprehensive” document, Mr Trump said the process would begin apace and that the US would provide security guarantees for North Korea.

Speaking to several hundred reporters during a press conference later in the afternoon, Mr Trump said he held “honest, direct and productive” talks with Mr Kim. He added that Washington was ready to write a “new chapter” of relations with Pyongyang.

“I think he wants to get it (denuclearisation) done,” said Mr Trump, adding that he was confident Mr Kim would begin dismantling his nuclear arsenal “very quickly.”

Mr Trump did not elaborate what guarantees Washington is providing but said that sanctions on North Korea will remain in effect until “we know that the nukes are no longer effective.”

The document stated that both sides will establish “new US–DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) relations” and “join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime” on the divided Korean Peninsula, without mentioning a formal peace treaty to end the Korean War.

“We’re very proud of what took place today,” Mr Trump said. “I think our whole relationship with North Korea and the Korean Peninsula is going to be a very much different situation than it has in the past.”

The joint statement said both sides would hold “follow-on negotiations” led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a high-level North Korean official “at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes” of the summit meeting.

The two countries also agreed to recover the remains of prisoners of war and those killed in action during the Korean war. Those already identified will be immediately repatriated.

“We asked for it today, and we got it. It was a very last minute request,” said Mr Trump, looking relaxed and pleased with the outcome.

The US has all along insisted on “complete, verifiable, irreversible” denuclearisation. But the joint statement appears to have been watered down to merely contain “complete” denuclearisation.

This has sparked concern over whether the deal – which was short on details, including any timetable or verification measures – would be largely symbolic, and whether the denuclearisation process will proceed quickly without any agreed timeline.

When asked during the press conference if there would be a verification process, Mr Trump said: “We will be verifying.”

“It is about developing trust and we think we have done that…We are going to have a lot of people there and we are going to be working with them on a lot of things.”

He said those involved in the verification process would be a mix of American officials and international agencies.

Mr Trump acknowledged that the timeline for verification is long. “We will do it as fast as we can scientifically… I think there will be a point, that when you are 20 per cent through, you can’t go back,” he said.

He said he was given assurances by Mr Kim that the North Korean government would destroy an engine testing site soon.

Asked earlier at the signing ceremony if Mr Kim had agreed to denuclearise, Mr. Trump said: “We’re starting that process very quickly — very, very quickly — absolutely.

"We are going to take care of a very big and very dangerous problem."

On his part, Mr Kim had said: “The world will see a change".

He did not elaborate but added: "Today we had a historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind and we are about to make a historic change. I want to express my gratitude to President Trump for making this meeting happen."

The American leader heaped praise on Mr Kim, calling him a “very smart, worthy negotiator".

He added that he has developed a special bond with Mr Kim and invited him to visit Washington DC. He said during the press conference that he will visit North Korea at an appropriate time.

Tuesday's summit marked a remarkable turnaround in bilateral relations. Just months ago, both were trading insults, with Mr Kim labelling Mr Trump a “dotard" while the American leader referred to the North Korean strongman as “little rocket man".

In the morning, Mr Trump had a one-on-one meeting lasting around 45 minutes with Mr Kim, accompanied only by translators, after an initial greeting at the start of the summit.

“I feel really great. It’s gonna be a great discussion and I think tremendous success," Mr Trump said as he sat down with Mr Kim in the Capella Hotel.

Mr Kim said in response: "Well, it was not easy to get here. The past has placed many obstacles in our way but we overcame all of them and we are here today.”

It was the first meeting between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.

Both men later had an expanded meeting with officials from both sides, followed by a working lunch.

They then took a walk around manicured lawns of the hotel, before they proceeded to sign the agreement. 

Mr Trump departed Singapore around 6.30pm on Tuesday, while Mr Kim left after 10 pm.

Shortly after taking off on the Air Force One presidential jet, Mr Trump spoke on the phone with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Mr Moon's office says he told Mr Trump the summit was a success that laid down a "big framework" for peace in the Korean Peninsula and the world.

Mr Moon's office says Mr Trump told his South Korean counterpart that he was impressed by Mr Kim's determination reflected by a decision to destroy a missile test site.

Mr Moon had said earlier in a statement that the summit between Mr Trump and Mr Kim was a "great victory achieved by both the United States and the two Koreas" and a "huge step forward for people across the world who long for peace."

"The June 12 Sentosa Agreement will be recorded as a historic event that has helped break down the last remaining Cold War legacy on Earth," he said in a statement.

China and Japan also welcomed the outcome, even though many analysts note that it is too early to say if Mr Trump had indeed secured concrete steps towards denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula given the vagueness of the agreement.

"So far this seems like empty calories, but where is the beef?" Jung Pak, a former Central Intelligence Agency North Korea analyst who is now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, wrote on Twitter.

"I guess we have to tune in for the next episode."

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.