Politics
16:39, 12-May-2018
US, ROK express hopes on US-DPRK summit, looking for complete denuclearization
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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and visiting Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha of the Republic of Korea (ROK) said in Washington, DC on Friday that they are looking forward to the summit between US President Donald Trump and the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un.
During a joint press conference with his ROK counterpart Kang, Pompeo said, "we look forward to our continued preparations with the DPRK to make the summit in Singapore on June 12th, a true success for the American and Korean people and for the world."
"The release of these three citizens helps set the conditions for a successful meeting," Pompeo said.
US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with US detainee Tony Kim (C) as US Vice President Mike Pence (back L) and Melania Trump (L) look on, upon arrival after the three detainees were freed by the DPRK, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on May 10, 2018. /VCG Photo
US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with US detainee Tony Kim (C) as US Vice President Mike Pence (back L) and Melania Trump (L) look on, upon arrival after the three detainees were freed by the DPRK, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on May 10, 2018. /VCG Photo
The White House on Wednesday confirmed the release of three US citizens detained in the DPRK, saying US President Donald Trump appreciates the release and views it as "a positive gesture of goodwill."
Kang said that the Trump-Kim summit "would be a historic opportunity for resolving the nuclear issue and securing enduring peace on the Korean Peninsula."
"We reaffirmed that our goal is to achieve the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula," she added.
Also on Friday, White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders told the media that the summit "is certainly a process that has moved in the right direction," adding that the US side "plans for a full day of meetings on the 12th with some time reserved to carry over if necessary," presumably confirming earlier reports that the summit will be a day long, possibly extending to a second day.
"Certainly the best outcome would be an agreement for complete and total denuclearization," she said, "but this is the beginning part of these conversations ... And we've been pretty upfront about that."
"We've seen some signs of goodwill" from the DPRK, she added.
Source(s): Xinhua News Agency