Thread: Trump agrees to meet with North Korea's Kim Jong Un by May: South Korea

Trump agrees to meet with North Korea's Kim Jong Un by May: South Korea

Chung Eui-yong
March 8, 2018 7:19 pm

After months of trading insults and threats of nuclear annihilation, President Donald Trump agreed to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jung Un by May to negotiate an end to Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program, South Korean and U.S. officials said Thursday. No American president has ever met with a North Korea leader.

The South Korean national security director, Chung Eui-yong, told reporters outside the White House of the planned summit, after briefing Trump and other top U.S. officials about a rare meeting with Kim in the North Korean capital on Monday.

The meeting would be unprecedented during seven decades of animosity between the U.S. and North Korea. The countries do not even have formal diplomatic relations. They remain in a state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice and not a peace treaty.

Chung said he had told Trump that Kim says he's committed to "denuclearization" and has pledged that North Korea will refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests — providing a rare diplomatic opening after a year of escalating tensions over the North's tests. The rival Koreas have already agreed to hold a leadership summit in late April.

"He (Kim) expressed his eagerness to meet President Trump as soon as possible," Chung said. "President Trump appreciated the briefing and said he would meet Kim Jong Un by May to achieve permanent denuclearization."

Chung did not say where Trump would meet with Kim. The White House said Trump's meeting with Kim would take place "at a place and time to be determined."

Trump took office vowing to stop North Korea from attaining a nuclear-tipped missile that could reach the U.S. mainland. He's oscillated between threats and insults directed at Kim, and more conciliatory rhetoric. His more bellicose talk, and Kim's nuclear and missile tests, have fueled fears of war.

Trump, who has ramped up economic sanctions on North Korea to force it to negotiate on giving up its nukes, has threatened the pariah nation with "fire and fury" if its threats against the U.S. and its allies continued. He has derided Kim by referring to him as "Little Rocket Man."

Trump said the sanctions will remain in place until a denuclearization agreement is reached.

After Kim repeated threats against the U.S. in a New Year's address and mentioned the "nuclear button" on his office desk, Trump responded by tweeting that he has a nuclear button, too, "but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"

On Tuesday after leaving Pyongyang, Chung had publicized that North Korea was offering talks with the United States on denuclearization and normalizing ties, but the proposal for a summit still came as a huge surprise, and will raise questions about whether the two sides are ready for such a high-level meeting.

Chung, who credited Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign for the diplomatic opening, said Kim understands that routine U.S.-South Korea military drills "must continue."

The drills were suspended during the Winter Olympics recently hosted by South Korea, which provided impetus for the inter-Korea rapprochement. The drills are expected to resume next month. North Korea has long protested the military maneuvers south of the divided Korean Peninsula as a rehearsal for invading the North.

Trump had made a surprise visit to the White House press briefing room on Thursday afternoon to alert reporters to the South Korean announcement. When asked whether the announcement would be about talks with North Korea, he told ABC reporter Jon Karl: "It's almost beyond that. Hopefully, you will give me credit."

On Tuesday, Trump had expressed both hope and skepticism about the reported offer of talks, which has yet to be confirmed, at least publicly, by the isolated North Korean government. While the path to a diplomatic resolution over the North's nuclear arsenal would be long and difficult, talks could dampen fears of war breaking out over what represents an emerging threat to the U.S. mainland.

Just a few hours earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who is traveling in Africa, had said the adversaries were still a long way from holding negotiations.

Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Zeke Miller, Catherine Lucey, Ken Thomas and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/n...308-story.html

Trump will accept Kim Jong Un's invitation to meet, White House says

By Matt Richardson, Brooke Singman | Fox News
2 hours ago

South Korean official says Kim Jong Un has extended an invitation to President Trump and has pledged North Korea will refrain from nuclear testing.

President Trump will accept an invitation by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un to meet, the White House confirmed Thursday night, in a dramatic development after months of sabre-rattling between the two world leaders.

Kim extended the invitation and the president agreed that the two would meet by May, South Korean National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong announced at the White House.

"Kim Jong Un talked about denuclearization with the South Korean Representatives, not just a freeze," Trump tweeted. "Also, no missile testing by North Korea during this period of time. Great progress being made but sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached. Meeting being planned!"

Trump, according to White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, "will accept the invitation to meet with Kim Jong Un at a place and time to be determined." But, Sanders added, "in the meantime, all sanctions and maximum pressure must remain."

Earlier Thursday, Chung announced that Trump would meet with Kim to "continue the goal of denuclearization."

Kim "expressed his eagerness to meet President Trump as soon as possible," Chung said. "President Trump appreciated the briefing and said he would meet Kim Jong Un by May to achieve permanent denuclearization."

Kim, according to Chung, understands that joint military exercises between South Korea and the U.S. would continue. The North Korean leader, according to recent talks with Chung, also claimed to be "commited to denuclearization."

"He (Kim) pledged that North Korea will refrain from any further nuclear missile tests," Chung said, adding that Trump's "leadership" and "maximum pressure" brought us "to this juncture."

Chung said that "along with President Trump," he is "optimistic of continuing a diplomatic process." But he added that "the pressure will continue until North Korea matches its words with concrete actions."

News of the willingness of Kim to meet with Trump follows recent high-profile talks between North Korea and South Korea.

Earlier Thursday, Trump announced that South Korea would be making a "major statement" about North Korea. Chung met at the White House earlier in the day with U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.

Chung and other South Korean officials briefed the White House Thursday on a potential diplomatic opening with North Korea after a year of escalating tensions. Chung told reporters Tuesday that he had received a message from North Korea intended for the United States, but did not disclose what it was.

Trump and Kim have had a contentious relationship during the last year as both men dramatically increased the rhetoric against the other amid the backdrop of increased nuclear and missile testing by the North Korean regime.

In August Trump warned Kim that, if pressed, the U.S. would unleash "fire, fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before." At the time, the president argued that Kim had "been very threatening beyond a normal state," adding that the regime "best not make any more threats to the United States."

However, threats and counter-threats continued into 2018.

"The U.S. should know that the button for nuclear weapons is on my table," Kim said during a Jan. 1 speech, according to a translation. "The entire area of the U.S. mainland is within our nuclear strike range," he continued, adding that "the United States can never start a war against me and our country."

The next day Trump hit back against Kim by claiming that the U.S. nuclear arsenal was more powerful. "North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the 'Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times,'" Trump tweeted. "Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"

The last round of significant talks involving the U.S. and North Korea concluded in 2009. The so-called six-party talks, which involved the U.S., North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Russia and China, ended when North Korea walked out.

Fox News’ John Roberts, Kristin Brown, Jennifer Griffin, Rich Edson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018...t-7-pm-et.html

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