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'The world will see a major change': Trump and Kim hail summit as historic breakthrough

The first-ever summit between sitting leaders of the two Cold War foes went “better than anybody could have expected”, Trump said.

LAST UPDATE | 12 Jun 2018

Trump Kim Summit President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sentosa Island. Evan Vucci Evan Vucci

DONALD TRUMP AND Kim Jong Un hailed their historic summit today as a breakthrough in relations between Cold War foes, but the agreement they produced was short on details about the key issue of Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons.

The extraordinary encounter saw the leader of the world’s most powerful democracy shake hands with the third generation scion of a dynastic dictatorship, standing as equals in front of their nations’ flags.

Kim agreed to the “complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula”, a stock phrase favoured by Pyongyang that fell short of long-standing US demands for North Korea to give up its atomic arsenal.

And in a blockbusting press conference after the summit, Trump said the US would halt military exercises with Seoul – a long-term irritant for Pyongyang, which claims they are a rehearsal for invasion.

Earlier, Trump said that the first-ever summit between sitting leaders of the two Cold War foes went “better than anybody could have expected”.

The pair signed the joint document which Trump called a “very important document, a pretty comprehensive document”.

In it, Kim commits to the “complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula”.

Meanwhile, the US commits to providing “security guarantees” to the North.

Kim called it an “historic meeting” and that the leaders had “decided to leave the past behind”.

Trump Kim Summit US President Donald Trump answers questions about the summit with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un during a press conference at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island. Evan Vucci / PA Evan Vucci / PA / PA

“The world will see a major change. I would like to express my gratitude to President Trump for making this meeting happen,” he said.

The world will see a major change.

After this, they shook hands and signed the documents.

Asked about denuclearisation – the crux of the summit – following the meeting between Trump said, “we’re starting that process”, adding that it would begin “very, very quickly.

Speaking to reporters, he said there would be a process of verification involving “a lot of people”, but gave no concrete details.

He also insisted that US sanctions would remain in place until Washington had seen progress.

He also said he would “absolutely” be willing to invite Kim to the White House after their meeting.

Denuclearisation 

The text of the two men’s agreement made no mention of previous US demands for “complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation” – jargon for scrapping weapons and committing to inspections.

Melissa Hanham of the US-based Center for Nonproliferation Studies said on Twitter that North Korea had “already promised to do this many times,” adding the two sides “still don’t agree on what ‘denuclearisation’ means”.

In neutral Singapore, the leaders, who had previously hurled insults like “mentally deranged” and “little rocket man”, showered compliments on each other.

Trump said he had formed a “special bond” with Kim, whose regime has been accused of multiple human rights abuse and who is suspected of ordering the assassination of his brother at a Malaysian airport last year.

“We’ll meet again,” Trump said after a signing ceremony, standing with Kim on the verandah where they first met.

We will meet many times.

Trump said he “absolutely” would be willing to invite Kim to the White House.

For his part, Kim said the two Cold War foes had vowed to “leave the past behind”, pledging “the world will see a major change.”

Historic handshake

Earlier, the pair shared warm words and a historic handshake as they sought to confront a nuclear stand-off and enmity stretching back decades.

The two men shook hands for several seconds beneath the white-washed walls of an upscale hotel in neutral Singapore, Trump reaching out to touch the North Korean leader on his right shoulder, before sitting down for a half-day of meetings with major ramifications for the region and the world.

Trump Kim Summit US President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un walk from their lunch at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island Evan Vucci / PA Evan Vucci / PA / PA

The encounter was unthinkable just months ago, when fears of war mounted amid the missile tests and verbal insults.

As they sat down for their tete-a-tete, the US leader – who had said he would know “within the first minute” if a deal would be possible – predicted a “terrific relationship” with Kim.

For his part, the North’s leader referred to the two countries’ history of war and acrimony, but noted the fact of their meeting showed they could overcome the past.

Sitting across from Trump at a small side table, Kim told the US president through a translator:

It was not easy to get here.

“The past worked as fetters on our limbs and the old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward,” he went on, his listener looking him in the eye and nodding.

But we overcame all of them and we are here today.

Trump responded: “That’s true”, before another handshake – smiling this time – and a thumbs-up from the US president.

In Seoul, South Korean President Moon Jae-in watched live on television, telling his ministers, he “could hardly sleep last night”.

After huddling for around 40 minutes, Trump and Kim were joined by senior advisors before breaking for lunch, where prawn cocktail, short-rib confit, soy-braised cod, and vanilla ice-cream were among the options.

‘Fire and fury’

Critics have said the mere fact of the meeting meant Trump was legitimising Kim – whose regime is accused of widespread human rights abuses.

Trump told reporters that he had raised the issue of human rights “strongly”.

“We will be doing something on it. It’s rough. It’s rough in a lot of places, by the way,” he added.

The warm words and positive optics seemed a different era from when Trump was threatening to rain down “fire and fury” on Pyongyang and Kim attacked Trump as a “mentally deranged US dotard”, as he fired off a series of provocative weapons tests.

The Singapore summit is a potentially legacy-defining meeting for both men – comparable to president Richard Nixon’s 1972 visit to China, or Ronald Reagan’s 1986 summit with Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik.

But many agreements have been made in the past with North Korea that have later fallen apart.

© – AFP 2018 with reporting from AP

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    Mute Kerry Blake
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    May 1st 2017, 7:47 PM

    Well done Siobhán a great article. Respect and I wish you well on your next steps.

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    Mute Declan Hedderman
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    May 1st 2017, 7:45 PM

    siobhan brady you are a beautiful soul

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    Mute Gary Doggett
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    May 1st 2017, 8:04 PM

    Well done Siobhán, it’s very brave to articulate your difficulties in this way. Hopefully others will be encouraged to seek help too.

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    Mute Marie Gunbay
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    May 1st 2017, 8:15 PM

    I take my hat off to you Siobhan what an inspiration you are to people with mental health issues.

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    Mute Paul Foot
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    May 1st 2017, 7:39 PM

    Mental illness was very prevalent in this country for years – but hidden and denied. Like being anti-Catholic, gay or a West brit…

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    Mute lavbeer
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    May 1st 2017, 8:39 PM

    @Paul Foot: or being an arsehole maybe?

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    Mute Stephen murphy
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    May 1st 2017, 11:37 PM

    @lavbeer: You’ll find, Arseholes are needed and you’d be f%*ked without one.

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    Mute ChuckE
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    May 1st 2017, 9:32 PM

    A brilliant article and eye-opener. If more people could open up like you I’m sure many more could be helped

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    Mute B Collins
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    May 2nd 2017, 12:58 AM

    And fair play to the teacher who stepped up and supported her.

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    Mute 6ljJQRRU
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    May 1st 2017, 11:27 PM

    I think mental health issues are now understood which is positive There’s articles on it every day. What’s overlooked is I always feel sorry for family in this situation. They have to endure a lot often their own lives are put on hold. I think their needs should be recognised prominently as well especially that there can be other stressful things going on in their lives e.g. money worries, medical problems, elderly care etc.

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    Mute Stephen murphy
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    May 1st 2017, 11:40 PM

    @6ljJQRRU: I think, some of it or most is due to society and how we live. We are social creatures, living in a toxic environment and greed drives it.

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    Mute Patricia Tsouros
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    May 2nd 2017, 6:29 AM

    You are certainly a force breaking the stigma around mental health. Excellent personal article, well done.

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    Mute Leeann Amy Bryan
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    May 2nd 2017, 4:31 PM

    Well done Siobhan, great article. V. Inspirational best of luck with whatever the future holds.

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    Mute John O'Driscoll
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    May 3rd 2017, 4:24 AM

    Good woman Siobhain and fair play for your honesty and to Seechange also for support. World inside our heads most often does us far more damage than the world outside our heads. Guy on a plane in California once said that to me and he was a silicon valley guru one of the originals. Stayed with me ever since. Find it useful to recall quite often. Reframing and repackaging one’s own thoughts can greatly ease (dis)stress and promote eustress.

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    Mute Cathy O Rourke
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    May 5th 2017, 1:01 AM

    I would just like to thank you for this article. It has helped a small way to me understanding depression even though I have suffered bouts of it as well and am on medI cation now.. i was an adult when i began to get it. How utterly isolating and lonely it must have been for you at 13 to deal with this. I wish you the very best in life and keep up the writing. Cathy

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    Mute Fisher Jackson
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    May 3rd 2017, 5:28 AM

    I know people will be complaining about their marriage, and their relationship, especially the women, they usually complain about their husband does not love them anymore, their husband is cheating on them and even their husband left them, but my case was similar to theirs, my name is Sonia Walker, I am from Texas, USA, I had a very similar case with theirs, my husband, Walker left me with my two kids, for no reason, he said he does not love me anymore, he left for about 5 years, he never called me even my kids, I had a friend, Anita, she had a case similar to mine but her husband is now with her, I told her my problems I was facing, she told me about a great man that helped her to solve her problems, she introduced me to the great Baba ubeji, a man with great powers and kindness, he told me that my problems will be solved, so I believed, then after one week, it was unbelievable my husband came to me asking me for forgiveness, I accepted him, he has changed some much since when he came back, I just want to thank, the great Baba ubeji for his understanding and love, my friends if you are facing similar problems with me and even some other problem just email him at greatbabaubeji@gmail.com

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    Mute Evolution Temple
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