Trump and Kim prepare for historic meeting
North Korea's state news agency has announced a "change of times" ahead of the historic meeting between Trump and Kim, saying the talks will focus on denuclearization and ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula. The meeting will be held in Singapore amid tight security.
The White House said representatives from both sides will meet Monday to prepare for a meeting between Trump and Kim on Tuesday morning (June 12). The meeting will be chaired by Song Kim, the current US ambassador to the Philippines.
Singaporean authorities have imposed tight security measures for the historic meeting, with parts of the city centre and a number of streets leading to the meeting set to be completely blocked off. More than 23,000 police officers are estimated to be deployed to provide security.
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un both arrived in Singapore several hours apart on Sunday evening (June 10, local time).
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the preliminary talks as "substantive and detailed" and wrote on Twitter that the US remains committed to the complete, verifiable and irreversible disarmament of North Korea.
North Korea's official news agency spoke of "a change of times" ahead of the historic meeting, reporting that both sides were scheduled to exchange views on denuclearization and how to achieve a "permanent and sustainable mechanism for ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula."
Kim Jong-un has previously stated his readiness to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, but has not clarified exactly what he means by denuclearization. Some political analysts are skeptical, believing that the North Korean leader will not be willing to give up his nuclear facilities.
Jürgen Hart, a foreign policy expert for the Christian Democratic Party (Angela Merkel's party), said in an interview with a German newspaper that he doubts, "given previous experience," that the North Korean dictator would accept Western demands regarding Pyongyang's nuclear programs as a condition for normalizing relations.
Richard Armitage, US Deputy Secretary of State during the first term of President George W. Bush, also said that he did not expect much progress to be made on North Korea's nuclear disarmament during the talks between the leaders of the two countries.
Informing North Korean citizens
In an unprecedented move, North Korea's leadership has informed the public through mass media about the upcoming summit between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump. North Korean state media reported on Monday, a day late, about Kim's arrival in Singapore and the significance of the meeting. The media outlets used the term "new relations" between the United States and North Korea in their reports.
Trump is also scheduled to meet with Singapore's prime minister on Monday. The White House said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Adviser John Bolton, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and political adviser Stephen Miller will accompany Trump to his meeting with Lee Hsien Loong.
Kim Jong-un also met with the host country's prime minister shortly after arriving in Singapore. Trump tweeted on Monday: "It's great to be in Singapore. Excitement is in the air."
Source: DW
