North Korea upbeat on Trump-Kim surprise meeting as a chance to push nuclear talks

[webfact]

North Korea upbeat on Trump-Kim surprise meeting as a chance to push nuclear talks

By Joyce Lee

 

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as they meet at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, in Panmunjom, South Korea, June 30, 2019. KCNA via REUTERS

 

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed at their meeting on Sunday to push forward dialogue for making a new breakthrough in the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, North Korean state media said on Monday.

 

Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to set foot in North Korea on Sunday when he met Kim in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas and agreed to resume stalled nuclear talks.

 

"The top leaders of the two countries agreed to keep in close touch in the future, too, and resume and push forward productive dialogues for making a new breakthrough in the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and in the bilateral relations," KCNA news agency said.

 

The meeting, initiated by a tweet by Trump that Kim said took him by surprise, displayed the rapport between the two, but analysts said they were no closer to narrowing the gap between their positions since they walked away from their summit in February in Vietnam.

 

 

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters shortly before departing South Korea that a new round of talks would likely happen "sometime in July" and the North's negotiators would be foreign ministry diplomats.

 

In a photo released by KCNA on Monday, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and Pompeo are shown sitting next to Kim and Trump respectively in Freedom House, the building in which the two leaders had their one-on-one talks.

 

KCNA said that during the chat between Trump and Kim, the two leaders explained "issues of easing tensions on the Korean peninsula," "issues of mutual concern and interest which become a stumbling block in solving those issues," and "voiced full understanding and sympathy."

 

Kim said it was the good personal relationship he had with Trump that made such a dramatic meeting possible at just one day's notice and that the relationship with Trump would continue to produce good results, according to KCNA.

 

The two leaders' "bold, brave decision" that led to the historic meeting "created unprecedented trust between the two countries" that had been tangled in deeply rooted animosity, KCNA said.

 

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the meeting between Trump and Kim and “fully supports the continued efforts of the parties to establish new relations towards sustainable peace, security and complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

 

"The fact that the nuclear talks have jump-started is very encouraging, but that doesn't mean that the two sides have already adjusted their positions and set the conditions for successful working-level negotiations," said Kim Hyun-wook, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy.

 

(Reporting by Jack Kim and Joyce Lee; Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols at United Nations; Editing by Peter Cooney and Sandra Maler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-07-01

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[BobBKK]

Let's hope something positive and good comes out of it and not just another photo-op. Forget bashing Trump lets focus on reducing tensions and helping the poor of NK who must suffer daily.

PS I'd say the same no matter who POTUS was

[sammieuk1]

A Big mac KFC and Berger King in exchange for your nukes extra large and the deals done now lets shake on it????

[Pedrogaz]

Kim's an idiot if he really trusts Trump to deliver. 

[Tug]

Kim is playing Donald  he is no fool no body trusts Donald that’s what you reap when you Lie over 2000 times in 2 yrs

[user68677878]

17 minutes ago, Tug said:

Kim is playing Donald  he is no fool no body trusts Donald that’s what you reap when you Lie over 2000 times in 2 yrs

But the Trump neophytes lap them up as facts!!!!!!!

[Sujo]

If Kim is upbeat it means US is being played.

 

Kim cannot be trusted to keep a deal. Trump has also proved he cannot keep a deal. Birds of a feather.

 

Any deal reached between either of them is not worth the crayon its written with.

[Tug]

Of course little Kim is delighted all that’s left to do is carve up the big fat flounder they reeled in and get some weapons sales going to get some cash

[bristolboy]

26 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Yes, that is true , NK signed agreements stating to denuclearize

Not really. It said it would work towards the goal of denuclearization. And to this date, has never offered a definition of that. But Trump explicitly said that North Korea agreed to denuclearize. And there were some people who actually believed in Kim's and Trump's bona fides. Hard to believe, I know.

[Guitarzan]

19 hours ago, Tug said:

Kim is playing Donald  he is no fool no body trusts Donald that’s what you reap when you Lie over 2000 times in 2 yrs

How many times have you lied?

[ballpoint]

Operation "turd polish" well under way for 2020.