Trump-Kim summit a ‘disaster’ say foreign media, but locals disagree

HANOI — Never mind that an 11th hour eviction at the Melia Hanoi hotel had forced the White House press corps out of the media centre two hours before the arrival of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who was staying at the same hotel.

Or that half of the non-White House credentialed journalists at the main hall of the International Media Centre were abruptly told by organisers to give up their seats to accommodate the displaced group.

Haphazard organisation aside, visiting journalists whom TODAY interviewed said that the much-touted second summit between United States President Donald Trump and Mr Kim was “premature” and a “disaster”, after talks collapsed on Thursday and ended with no deal struck.

The issue, they said, was that the “real negotiations” between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean general Kim Yong-chol ahead of the summit had not borne fruit. However, the summit was not called off or rescheduled.

“A summit is normally a photo op for two leaders, and then they just sign and stamp (the deal),” said Mr Andrew Salmon, North-east Asia correspondent of Hong Kong-based news website Asia Times.

As no deal was secured before the Feb 27 and 28 meeting, both sides ended up with an awkward situation where they was “no agreement, no declaration, no follow-ups and no more summits on the horizon”, he added.

Mr David Boyer, the Washington Times’ White House correspondent, noted that Mr Trump and Mr Kim had met only for four to five hours, and that was largely for dinner.

“It doesn’t seem like they were really ready to really deal,” said Mr Boyer, 59. 

“You would hope that when you bring in Kim and Trump for this big meeting, that all you need to do is to sign the papers basically, but everything is obviously not at that point yet.”

By cutting short the summit on Thursday, Mr Trump was sending a message that he could have “made an agreement just to make an agreement” but that he did not want to do that, said Mr Boyer.

Calling the summit “premature”, Mr Stefan Niemann, Washington DC bureau chief of ARD German Public TV, added: “No one wanted this but Trump. All the foreign policy experts had been saying don’t (sign a deal) yet.”

A successful summit takes time and patience, said Mr Niemann, 53. “You need to reach a level where you can be sure that it does not end in disappointment. (Trump) is not that kind of a president.

“In that regard, maybe (it was a) waste of money.”

Mr Oliver Hotham, managing editor of American website NK News, said he was surprised that no deal was signed as he “expected at least a bad deal”. “This is just back to square one,” he pointed out.

MONEY WELL SPENT?

The first Trump-Kim summit in June last year had cost Singapore about S$16.3 million, which Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said was Singapore’s “contribution to an international endeavour that is our profound interest”.

While the cost had raised some eyebrows in Singapore, the Vietnamese locals whom TODAY spoke to were not disappointed with how taxpayers’ money had been spent as they pointed to the benefits that the summit had brought to their country.

“I heard that during these four days in Hanoi, all four- to five-star hotels are at full capacity, thanks to international reporters visiting. That has poured a lot back to the country already,” said Ms Linh Nguyen Ngoc who was working as an interpreter during the summit.

There were also intangible benefits, as Vietnam was able to showcase two areas — its military and diplomacy — that it is most proud of, added the 29-year-old.

Ms Dam Thu Hien, 22, said that the event was a public relations success for the city and her country.

“Our city was chosen because they believe in our ability to conduct it well. International friends will know us better. Our image will be better in their eyes,” said the student.

Mr Dang Tuan Anh, a staff member at the Hanoi Department of Justice, said that while some critics felt that it was a waste of money, he was of the opinion that politics and peace could not be measured by dollars and cents.

“I am disappointed that North Korea and the US did not come to any consensus, but it just means that there is more to hope for in the future,” said the 29-year-old.

‘ONE OF WORST ORGANISED SUMMITS’

While there were a few major hiccups, such as the White House press corps’ situation on Tuesday morning, some members of the American press refused to lay blame on the hosts.

“This was one of the worst organised summits I have ever seen, not on the part of the Vietnamese — they did a great job — but on the White House’s,” said a member of the White House press pool who declined to be named.

He pointed to a tweet by veteran White House correspondent John Roberts from Fox News, who had said that kicking the press out of a hotel was unprecedented.

The White House should have been more assertive as the ballroom for the media centre had already been paid for and no issues were raised until the mad scramble on Tuesday, said the reporter.

“It is really unusual for the White House not to dictate things because usually people want to have the summit with the Americans. But in this case, Kim seemed to control everything, which was what happened (on day two of the summit),” he added.

Mr Niemann said: “I don’t know who to blame because maybe the White House was naive (and thought) that we could stay there even though they know Kim would stay there.

“Maybe Kim decided to kick the White House out just to make a point.”

While many were surprised by the no-deal outcome of the two-day summit, Mr Pham Ngoc Canh — the 69-year-old recently made international headlines for his 31-year love affair with his North Korean wife — offered a nugget of wisdom gained from his experience dealing with the North Korean authorities.

“The journey of winning each other’s trust is a long, long journey. It needs much and even unbelievable patience, and bravery also,” said Mr Canh.

“Both US and DPRK (North Korea) will surely take it slow. The most important thing is that they maintain peace talks.”

When asked if he felt the summit was a failure, Mr Canh added: “I believe that they (US) choose Hanoi for this meeting to send a message. They want DPRK to do the same as Vietnam. Be open, and leave the past behind.”