World praises landmark Trump-Kim summit

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US President Donald Trump met Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday in Singapore, and the landmark summit has concluded with a joint statement including a commitment to "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" and "security guarantees" from the US.

The world has reacted with applauds.

UN chief says Trump-Kim summit 'important milestone'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday welcomed the summit as "an important milestone" toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Guterres urged all those concerned to "seize this momentous opportunity" and again offered UN help to achieve the goal of dismantling DPRK's nuclear weapons program.

The summit held in Singapore was "an important milestone in the advancement of sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula," Guterres said in a statement.

China says to work for peace mechanism for Korean Peninsula

China highly appreciated the political decisions made by the DPRK and the US, said a statement released by Chinese Foreign Ministry, adding that China will continue to dedicate itself to establishing a peace mechanism for the Korean Peninsula.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets the press in Beijing, June 12, 2018. /VCG Photo

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed his hopes that such a historic moment can result in denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula and said China will continue to play its constructive and important role.

South Korea: Singapore agreement will end Cold War

South Korean President Moon Jae-in also offered "heartfelt congratulations and welcome" the success of the summit, saying "the June 12 Sentosa Agreement will be recorded as a historic event that has helped break down the last remaining Cold War legacy on Earth."

He praised Trump and Kim for their "courage and determination" not to settle for "that outdated and familiar reality but to take a daring step towards change". He lionised Trump for achieving "a feat that no one else has ever delivered", adding Kim would also be remembered as "a leader who made a historic moment by taking the first bold step towards the world".

South Korean activists march with placards showing DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, US President Donald Trump and President Moon Jae-in during a rally demanding a peace treaty between the DPRK and the US near the US embassy in Seoul, June 12, 2018. /VCG Photo

"Leaving dark days of war and conflict behind, we will write a new chapter of peace and cooperation. We will be there together with North Korea (DPRK) along the way", he said.

Japan's Abe: Trump-Kim statement a step towards DPRK denuclearization

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday welcomed the document signed by Trump and Kim, saying "through this US-North Korea (DPRK) summit, Chairman Kim Jong Un's intent for complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was confirmed in writing… I support this as a first step to the comprehensive resolution of issues concerning North Korea (DPRK)."

"I highly appreciate the fact that President Trump firmly touched upon what I told him recently about the abduction issue which is very important to us, to Japan," Abe said. "I want to hear the details by phone (from Trump). I will continue aiming to resolve concerns such as the abduction, nuclear and missile issues," he added.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to the media after the news conference by the US President Donald Trump after the historic summit in Singapore, at Abe's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, June 12, 2018. /VCG Photo

Russia: Trump-Kim summit 'positive'

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hailed the Trump-Kim summit as a "positive" step, Russian news agency RIA Novosti said Tuesday.

"We have not yet seen the documents (signed at the summit). I don't think they have been published. But the mere fact that this meeting took place is of course positive," the agency quoted Lavrov as saying.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, "now we can only welcome the fact that an important step forward has been made. Of course the devil is in the detail, and we have yet to delve into specifics. But the impulse, as far as we understand, has been given."

He also said Moscow hoped that six-party talks – a negotiation format involving the DPRK, South Korea, China, the United States, Russia, and Japan – will at some point become relevant again, according to TASS.

UN nuclear watchdog says open to any role in DPRK if asked

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Tuesday it would carry out any verification role it was asked to in the DPRK, though that would depend on further talks between Washington and Pyongyang after the two countries' leaders met on Tuesday.

The Trump-Kim summit becomes the headline of South Korean newspapers, June 12, 2018. /VCG Photo

"The IAEA will closely follow the negotiations to be held between the two countries to implement the outcomes of the US-DPRK Summit," IAEA chief Yukiya Amano said in a statement.

"The IAEA stands ready to undertake any verification activities in the DPRK that it may be requested to conduct by the countries concerned, subject to authorization by the IAEA’s Board of Governors," said Amano.

EU hails Trump-Kim talks as 'crucial and necessary step'

The EU on Tuesday praised the summit as a "crucial and necessary step", saying it indicated "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula could be achieved.

"This summit was a crucial and necessary step to build upon the positive developments achieved in inter-Korean relations and on the peninsula so far," the EU's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

Former NBA star weeps following historic meeting

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman, a close friend of Kim, is also in Singapore for the summit.

"(Kim) is trying to change his people and his culture for a little bit, and I think Donald Trump did a great job at keeping his composure and understand that Kim Jong Un wants to have trust in America," Rodman told reporters.

"It's a great day. I am here to see it. I'm so happy. I'm excited to be part of it," Rodman said earlier in the day in an interview with CNN, wiping away tears from beneath a large pair of black sunglasses.

(With inputs from Reuters and AFP)