US president Donald Trump has arrived for a historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after making his first trip to the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas.
The unprecedented meeting at the demilitarised zone (DMZ) comes after Mr Trump tweeted what he said was a spontaneous invitation to Mr Kim.
South Korea’s president said they would have a “handshake for peace”.The North has not yet commented. The expected meeting raises hopes for a revival of stalled nuclear talks.
It will be the third meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Kim in just over a year, and their first since a summit in Vietnam broke down in February. Reacting to Mr Trump’s offer on Saturday, North Korea said it was “very interesting”.
In a press conference in Seoul earlier, Mr Trump said he and Mr Kim had “developed a very good relationship” and he was looking forward to meeting him. “It’s going to be very short, virtually a handshake. But that’s OK. A handshake means a lot.”
Apparently confirming that the invitation was not long planned, he said he arrived in South Korea and thought: “Hey, I’m here let’s see whether I can say hello.”
Speaking alongside Mr Trump, South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in said the leaders would meet in Panmunjom, the so-called truce village inside the DMZ, where negotiations between South and North Korea have often taken place. No sitting US president has ever been inside the DMZ, the thin strip of land which divides North and South Korea.
Mr Moon said the timing of a third full summit “depends on what change today’s meeting and dialogue could generate”, adding that “peace takes more courage compared to tensions”.
