What Are Some People in Seoul Saying About The Trump Meeting with N.Korea's Jung
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| First time in history if Trump and Jung go thru with the meeting that a US President would have met a leader of that Dynasty. Trump liked the Saudi's kingdom and other Unelected Kings around the world ie; Putin. He might like Jung (that might not be a good thing). We all hope for the best. It is always better to talk about making peace than nuking each other and us. Adam |
In Seoul, South Korea the surprise announcement of a meeting between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Uninspired both hope and trepidation among North Korea's neighbors Friday.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in called the decision to move ahead with a face-to-face meeting on the North's nuclear program a "historic milestone" and "miraculous opportunity" to resolve the dangerous impasse.
South Korean officials announced Thursday that President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un were planning to meet. Leah Millis / Reuters
The announcement followed a bitter war of words between Trump and Kim.
Since becoming president, Trump has hurled numerous threats and insults at Kim — often via Twitter. The North Korean dictator has reciprocated, calling Trump "a mentally deranged U.S. dotard" who has to be tamed with fire and hinted at the presence of "a nuclear button on his desk."
Kim's government, meanwhile, has pressed ahead with its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters Friday that he had spoken with Trump on the phone, and they had agreed to continue putting maximum pressure on North Korea. Thursday's announcement was the result of strong U.S.-Japanese coordination, he said.
“There were times like this when North Korea stabbed us in the back”
Abe also issued a clear note of caution:
"Until North Korea takes actual steps towards a complete inspection of their nuclear weapons and missiles, and their irreversible abandonment, this will not sway the absolute position of Japan and the United States that we will continue to apply the greatest amount of pressure."
Aside from South Korea Japan is most vulnerable to North Korea's nuclear program, with a number of test-fired missiles landing in the country's waters over the past few years.
China, North Korea's most important ally, welcomed what it called the "positive message" conveyed by the proposed meeting. "We ... support the alleviation of the peninsula situation, and the positive inter-Korean and U.S.-North Korea interactions," said China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Geng Shuang.
He added that China will continue to play a positive and constructive role in a political resolution to the nuclear issue, after being asked if China is willing to host the meeting.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov — whose government is also one of Pyongyang's few allies — told TASS news agency that he was glad to see "a dialogue based on mutual respect" as opposed to "threats, ultimatums and unilateral sanctions."
Elation mixed with caution on the streets of the South Korean capital, which is just 35 miles from the border with North Korea.
Kwang Nam, a 75-year-old Seoul resident, called it “good news, now everything is heading the right way.” She added: "We cannot afford a war."
Image: Jeon Yoo-jin
Jeon Yoo-jin. Bruce Harrison / for NBC News
College student Jeon Yoo-jin said she expects the U.S. to flex its political muscle should the meeting between Trump and Kim lead to further cooperation.
“I believe that the U.S. has nothing to lose from these talks," the 24-year-old said. "So they will lay down the law and ask them to denuclearize.”
Thirty-year-old doctor Park Si-hyun was both wary and optimistic about the proposed meeting.
“I was very positive when I heard they planned to meet," said Park waiting at a bus stop. "It’s a good thing, really. But there were times like this when North Korea stabbed us in the back. So I am a little worried as well."
Thursday's announcement was made outside the White House by South Korean National Security Advisor Chung Eui-yong, who said North Korea's Kim was committed to denuclearization. The North Korean leader also had pledged to refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests and expressed his eagerness to meet Trump as soon as possible, he said.
Image: Park Si-hyun.
Park Si-hyun. Bruce Harrison / for NBC News
While Chung set a May deadline for the meeting, a senior administration official was vaguer — telling reporters the time and place were "yet to be worked out," but that the meeting will come "in a matter of a couple months."
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed President Trump accepted the invitation to meet with Kim, but all sanctions and maximum pressure on North Korea must remain in the meantime.
Trump took office vowing to stop North Korea from attaining a nuclear-tipped missile that could reach the U.S. mainland, a goal that Pyongyang appears on the cusp of reaching. The Defense Intelligence Agency reported to Congress this week that Kim now has three intercontinental ballistic missiles, two of which can hit the U.S. mainland.
Bruce Harrison reported from Seoul, and Yuliya Talmazan reported from London.
Originally Posted by
President Trump has tweeted that a deal with North Korea is "very much in the making", a day after revealing he had agreed to meet its leader Kim Jong-un.
Earlier, the White House said the meeting would not take place unless Pyongyang took "concrete actions".
US media report that Mr. Trump made the decision to meet without consulting key figures in his administration, who are now scrambling to catch up.
No sitting US president has ever met a North Korean leader.
The tricky task of preparing for the Trump-Kim summit
The political gamble of the 21st Century
Mixed messages
Mr. Trump stunned observers when he agreed to the summit following an invitation delivered by South Korean envoys.
Confusion mounted when Mr. Trump's own press secretary, Sarah Sanders, told reporters that North Korea has "promised to denuclearise". She added: "We're not going to have this meeting take place until we see concrete actions."
The top US diplomat, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, was on his first official trip to Africa when the announcement was made.
He told reporters on Friday the decision to meet Mr. Kim was one "the president took himself".
"I spoke to him very early this morning about that decision and we had a very good conversation," Mr. Tillerson added.
On Saturday, Mr. Tillerson canceled all his official events in Kenya with aides saying the secretary was "not feeling well after a long couple days working on major issues back home such as North Korea".
South Korean envoys - who recently met with Mr. Kim in Pyongyang - have said North Korea is "committed to denuclearization" as an end goal, but they have not said this would start before a meeting with the US.
Instead, North Korea is understood to have agreed to halt its testing programme as negotiations continue.
Chinese state media said the meeting resulted from Chinese efforts, with the Communist Party's newspaper the People's Daily saying the US "profusely thanked and put high importance on China's important role".
There has been no mention of any meeting in North Korean media.
But on Friday the Washington Post reported a statement from the North Korean ambassador to the UN in New York, who credited the developments to the "great courageous decision of our Supreme Leader". He added that "peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the East Asia region" could be secured.
Graphic: Where could they meet?
An initial statement from the South Korean delegation said the meeting would take place by May - but no place or date has officially been set.
The Korean border's demilitarised zone (DMZ) and Beijing are seen as possible venues.
How did we reach this point?
Kim Jong-un unexpectedly used his New Year's message to reciprocate an offer of talks made by the South last year. This led to North Korea sending a delegation to the Winter Olympics in the South.
After the Games, Then, South Korean envoys met Mr. Kim in Pyongyang this week. The envoys then traveled to Washington to brief Mr. Trump.
Media captionThe South's Chung Eui-Yong talks to reporters at the White House
Speaking outside the White House after the meeting, South Korean National Security Adviser Chung Eui-Yong said Mr. Kim was prepared to sit down with the US president and was now "committed to denuclearization".
In a statement sent to the Washington Post, North Korea's UN ambassador said the "courageous decision" of Mr. Kim would help secure "peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and the East Asia region".
How to talk to the world's most secretive country
What could happen now?
However, the North has halted missile and nuclear tests during previous talks, only to resume them when it lost patience or felt it was not getting what it demanded, analysts say.
Some expressed concern the Trump regime could "fall into the North Korean trap" of granting concessions with nothing tangible in return
Originally Posted by
President Trump has tweeted that a deal with North Korea is "very much in the making", a day after revealing he had agreed to meet its leader Kim Jong-un.
Earlier, the White House said the meeting would not take place unless Pyongyang took "concrete actions".
US media report that Mr. Trump made the decision to meet without consulting key figures in his administration, who are now scrambling to catch up.
No sitting US president has ever met a North Korean leader.
The tricky task of preparing for the Trump-Kim summit
The political gamble of the 21st Century
Mixed messages
Mr. Trump stunned observers when he agreed to the summit following an invitation delivered by South Korean envoys.
Confusion mounted when Mr. Trump's own press secretary, Sarah Sanders, told reporters that North Korea has "promised to denuclearise". She added: "We're not going to have this meeting take place until we see concrete actions."
The top US diplomat, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, was on his first official trip to Africa when the announcement was made.
He told reporters on Friday the decision to meet Mr. Kim was one "the president took himself".
"I spoke to him very early this morning about that decision and we had a very good conversation," Mr. Tillerson added.
On Saturday, Mr. Tillerson canceled all his official events in Kenya with aides saying the secretary was "not feeling well after a long couple days working on major issues back home such as North Korea".
South Korean envoys - who recently met with Mr. Kim in Pyongyang - have said North Korea is "committed to denuclearization" as an end goal, but they have not said this would start before a meeting with the US.
Instead, North Korea is understood to have agreed to halt its testing programme as negotiations continue.
Chinese state media said the meeting resulted from Chinese efforts, with the Communist Party's newspaper the People's Daily saying the US "profusely thanked and put high importance on China's important role".
There has been no mention of any meeting in North Korean media.
But on Friday the Washington Post reported a statement from the North Korean ambassador to the UN in New York, who credited the developments to the "great courageous decision of our Supreme Leader". He added that "peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the East Asia region" could be secured.
Graphic: Where could they meet?
An initial statement from the South Korean delegation said the meeting would take place by May - but no place or date has officially been set.
The Korean border's demilitarised zone (DMZ) and Beijing are seen as possible venues.
How did we reach this point?
Kim Jong-un unexpectedly used his New Year's message to reciprocate an offer of talks made by the South last year. This led to North Korea sending a delegation to the Winter Olympics in the South.
After the Games, Then, South Korean envoys met Mr. Kim in Pyongyang this week. The envoys then traveled to Washington to brief Mr. Trump.
Media captionThe South's Chung Eui-Yong talks to reporters at the White House
Speaking outside the White House after the meeting, South Korean National Security Adviser Chung Eui-Yong said Mr. Kim was prepared to sit down with the US president and was now "committed to denuclearization".
In a statement sent to the Washington Post, North Korea's UN ambassador said the "courageous decision" of Mr. Kim would help secure "peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and the East Asia region".
How to talk to the world's most secretive country
What could happen now?
However, the North has halted missile and nuclear tests during previous talks, only to resume them when it lost patience or felt it was not getting what it demanded, analysts say.
Some expressed concern the Trump regime could "fall into the North Korean trap" of granting concessions with nothing tangible in return
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