Politics
16:49, 07-May-2018
Singapore likely to host Trump-Kim summit in June: report
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US President Donald Trump and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un are likely to meet in Singapore next month, reports said on Monday, as anticipation builds for unprecedented talks between the mercurial leaders.
Trump said at the weekend that the two sides had settled on a date and location for the summit – the first between a sitting US president and a DPRK leader – without providing details.
"We'll be announcing it soon," Trump told reporters.
The landmark summit will take place in "mid-June", South Korea's Chosun Ilbo daily reported Monday, citing diplomatic sources who quoted Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton.
Singapore's national icon, Merlion. /VCG Photo
Singapore's national icon, Merlion. /VCG Photo
The newspaper suggested that the possibility of Singapore hosting the landmark meeting had "increased greatly" after a decision by Trump to host South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House later this month, without giving further explanation.
Bolton met his South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-yong in Washington late last week to discuss plans for both locations, according to local media reports.
A similar report on the weekend from South Korea's Yonhap news agency also said Singapore was firming as the favored location for the summit.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in (R) shakes hands with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un during their meeting at the Peace House, April 28, 2018. /Reuters Photo
South Korean President Moon Jae-in (R) shakes hands with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un during their meeting at the Peace House, April 28, 2018. /Reuters Photo
Trump had previously suggested that the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas – the site of a recent summit between Kim and Moon – could also be an appropriate venue for his meeting with the DPRK leader.
Other possible sites reportedly included Mongolia and Switzerland.
Preparations for the landmark meeting have gained momentum since the Korean summit late last month, which saw Pyongyang and Seoul promise to pursue the complete denuclearization of the peninsula and a formal peace treaty to end the 1950-53 Korean War.
The DPRK has offered to close its nuclear test site this month – and invited US experts to verify the move.
Other less dramatic but notable signs of rapprochement have emerged almost daily, including the DPRK moving its clocks forward by 30 minutes early Saturday to match time with the South.
Source(s): AFP