Live Updates
President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a historic summit in Singapore.
Here’s what you need to know about how the summit went down:
President Trump gave an hour-long press conference before he left Singapore — and it started this movie trailer-esque video:
The nearly 10-minute-long video starts with a title card claiming it’s a “Destiny Pictures” production, a voiceover and stock footage from around the world.
“Seven billion people inhabit planet Earth. Of those alive today, only a small number will leave a lasting impact. And only the very few will make decisions or take actions that renew their homeland and change the course of history,” the video begins.
The trailer eventually cuts to images of Trump and Kim.
The voiceover ends with this:
CNN just caught a glimpse of the North Korean delegation leaving the St. Regis hotel in Singapore, where Kim Jong Un was staying his stay for the summit with President Trump.
President Trump, who stayed at the Shangri-La hotel, left Singapore a few hours ago.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell just spoke on the floor about Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong Un, saying it is a major step toward “historic peace.”
“As President Trump explained a few hours ago, today is the beginning of the arduous process. Our eyes are wide open,” McConnell said.
“If North Korea does not prove willing to [denuclearize], we and our allies must be prepared to restore the policy of maximum pressure,” McConnell said. “Today I congratulate the President on this major step, and share his hope that it will begin a process that leads to an historic peace.”
The historic US-North Korean summit is making headlines across the world — except in North Korea.
By the early evening, the country’s tightly controlled media had completely ignored the meeting itself, at which North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a vague pledge of denuclearization.
However, the state-run newspaper did show images of Kim’s tour of Singapore, which happened the night before their meeting.
In North Korea, where all local media is state-owned, reports often come out a day after the fact, leaving the population there in the dark Tuesday on one of the country’s most significant political events in years.
Some things that were mentioned in North Korean news today:
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the Trump-Kim summit a “important milestone in the advancement of sustainable peace,” according to his spokesman.
Here’s the full statement:
The Secretary-General welcomes the holding of the Summit between the leaders of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States as an important milestone in the advancement of sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.As the Secretary-General noted in letters to both leaders before the Summit, the road ahead requires cooperation, compromise and a common cause. Implementing today’s and previous agreements reached, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions, will require patience and support from the global community. The Secretary-General urges all concerned parties to seize this momentous opportunity and reiterates his readiness to fully support the ongoing process.
The Department of Defense “continues to work with the White House, the interagency, and our allies and partners” following the summit, Lt. Col. Dave Eastburn, a Pentagon spokesman, told CNN.
“We will provide additional information as it becomes available,” he added.
A separate senior US defense official said the Pentagon will work with the White House and State Department to further determine how to carry out the President’s intent on exercises.
The official says “right now the issues to be determined” are:
Why we’re talking about this: Earlier today, President Trump said the US plans to stop the “war games,” an apparent reference to joint military exercises with South Korea that North Korea has long rebuked as provocative.
Trump also said he hopes to eventually withdraw US forces from South Korea, but said “That’s not part of the equation right now.”
Here’s that moment:
The British Government hopes Kim Jong Un “continues to negotiate in good faith towards complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization,” according to a statement from British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.
North Korea’s commitment to work towards denuclearization indicates that leader Kim Jong Un “may have finally heeded the message that only a change of course can bring a secure and prosperous to the people of North Korea,” Johnson’s statement also said.
Johnson described the the summit as “constructive” and added that the UK will continue to support the US’s efforts toward denuclearizing of the Korean Peninsula.
President Trump and South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in talked on the phone moments ago, following Trump’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
President Trump is currently on his way back to the US following the summit in SIngapore.
Moon and Kim held their own summit in April. They signed the Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification on the Korean Peninsula, which committed the two countries to denuclearization and talks to bring a formal end to the Korean War.
Here’s the moment Kim and Moon met for the first time:
President Trump sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos just after he wrapped up his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
European Union foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini praised the “rewarding” diplomatic efforts involved in the summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
She called the historic meeting a “crucial and necessary step to build upon the positive developments achieved in inter-Korean relations.”
In a statement, the EU affirmed that the Joint Statement signed by the US and North Korea indicates that “complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula” can be achieved:
“The European Union … remains ready to facilitate and support the follow-on negotiation and other steps aimed at building confidence and ensuring long-lasting peace, security and prosperity on a Korean Peninsular free of nuclear weapons.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday welcomed President Trump’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti reported.
“We have not seen any documents,” Lavrov said, referring to televised comments from both sides. “I think they have not been published yet, but the fact of the meeting itself is of course positive.”
In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, President Trump said he trusts North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, and he has received the same trust in return.
“I do trust him, yeah. Now will I come back to you in a year, and you’ll be interviewing, I’ll say ‘Gee I made a mistake’? That’s always possible, George. You know, we’re dealing at a very high level, a lot of things can change,” Trump said.
“He trusts me, I believe, I really do … I think he trusts me, and I trust him.”
President Trump, in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, talked about the now-infamous meeting he had in Canada just before leaving for Singapore for his historic meeting.
Trump said he has “great friendships” with G7 leaders, but said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s comments at his press conference at the end of G7 were going to cost Trudeau “a lot of money.”
“He gave out a little bit of an obnoxious thing. I actually like Justin, you know I think he’s good, I like him but he shouldn’t have done that. That was a mistake. That’s gonna cost him a lot of money,” Trump said.
“What happened is, we had a final document, I wasn’t 100% but I wanted to leave nicely so we had a document, I get into Air Force One, the televisions on and I see a news conference being given by the Prime Minister of Canada and Justin and I said ‘oh that’s nice Justin’ s giving —’ and then he talked about how they won’t be bullied, how they — and I said ‘what’s this all about?’ he didn’t do that to my face. What’s this all about?”
“But here’s what the story is, we have been taken advantage of as a country for decades by friends and enemies both,” Trump said, referring to trade.
Moments ago President Trump departed Singapore aboard Air Force One. He’s headed back to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, with brief stops in Guam and Hawaii first.
“Gone are the days of ‘fire and fury’ and ‘Little Rocket Man,’” CNN’s chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta writes, recounting his experience covering the historic meeting between the leaders of the United States and North Korea.
Conceding that it was surreal to see the two shaking hands, walking together and even taking an impromptu tour of the “Beast” — Trump’s armored limo — Acosta quoted Kim to sum it all up:
“Many people in the world will think of this as a form of fantasy … from a science fiction movie,” Kim said via the translator after the two leaders first met.
The United States Forces Korea (USFK) says there haven’t been any updated orders regarding planned drills, despite Trump’s comments at a press conference following his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“We here at USFK received no official updated guidance on execution or cessation in any upcoming training exercises to include this late summer’s scheduled UFG,” USFK spokesman Colonel Chad Carroll told CNN, referring to drills codenamed Ulchi Freedom Guardian, which are planned for late August.
Earlier today, President Trump said the US plans to stop the “war games,” an apparent reference to joint military exercises with South Korea that North Korea has long rebuked as provocative.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who watched the summit unfold from Seoul, offered his “heartfelt congratulations” and welcomed the success of the historic summit.
He said after speaking to the two leaders over the past month, he could “cautiously predict the success of the summit.
“Seventy years of division and hostility, however, have cast a dark shadow that makes it difficult to believe what is actually taking place before our very eyes. I pay my high compliments for the courage and determination of the two leaders, President Trump and Chairman Kim, not to settle for that outdated and familiar reality but to take a daring step towards change.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 added that the the summit was “a great victory achieved by both the United States and the two Koreas, and a huge step forward for people across the world who long for peace.”
The US is just waking up, and while you were sleeping, President Trump has a busy day in Singapore.
Here’s what you need to know about this historic summit he had with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.
South Korea’s government has reacted cautiously to Trump’s comment in his news conference about shutting down the two countries’ annual joint military drills.
The South Korean president’s office said that “we need to figure out President Trump’s accurate meaning and intention (of this comment.)
“However, we believe we need to seek various measures how to efficiently move forward the dialogue, (while) serious talks are being conducted to denuclearize the Korean peninsula and to establish relations between North Korea and the US.”
At a press conference following his summit with Kim Jong Un, Trump said that the drills cost the US a lot of money.
“The war games are very expensive; we paid for a big majority of them, we fly in bombers from Guam,” Trump said. “That’s a long time for these big massive planes to be flying to South Korea to practice and then drop bombs all over the place and then go back to Guam. I know a lot about airplanes, it’s very expensive,” he said.
China says UN resolutions, including sanctions on North Korea, could be adjusted to support nuclear settlement on the Korean Peninsula.
Responding to a question about the future of sanctions following the North Korea-US summit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that the “relevant UN resolutions – say, based on how North Korea has followed and implemented the resolutions – can be adjusted accordingly, including suspending or lifting relevant measures.
“China always holds the view that sanctions are not the goal. Actions by the UN Security Council should support and coordinate with the current diplomatic dialogues and efforts on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and the promotion of a political settlement on the peninsula issue,” he said.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told local media Tuesday he would like to thank President Trump for bringing up the abduction issue with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un and wished to hear more details from Trump on the phone.
What you need to know about the abductees: Abe and his cabinet have repeatedly asked Trump to raise the abductions of their citizens by North Korea with Kim during their meeting.
For decades, Pyongyang has brazenly kidnapped Japanese, as well as South Korean, citizens and brought them back to the rogue state. Some have never been seen again.
In total, 17 Japanese citizens have officially been registered as taken by North Koreans, although many others have been reported as abductees.
It is a comparatively small number of people, but Japan takes the issue incredibly seriously. Abe has described it as a top priority. Both Trump and his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have promised to raise it with Kim.
When asked if he believed that his North Korean counterpart would follow through on the promises he made during the two leaders’ conversation, President Trump said he “really believes” he’d keep his word.
Citing a missile engine testing site that Kim Jong Un had also pledged to shut down “in addition to the other things we were able to do.
“I may be wrong and stand before you in six months and say, ‘Hey I was wrong,’” before pausing.
“I don’t think I’ll ever admit that,” he said.
President Trump took questions from reporters for more than an hour at a news conference in Singapore following his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The last time Trump had a full news conference was Feb. 16, 2017.
President Trump said he brought North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un to the negotiating table by showing him what the future could look like should he choose the path of peace.
Trump, the seasoned real estate executive, said he told Kim that involved beautiful beaches, great condos, and “the best hotels in the world.”
“As an example, they have great beaches,” he said, “You see that whenever they are exploding the cannons into the ocean. I said, ‘Boy look at that view.’ Wouldn’t that would make a great condo? I said, ‘Instead of doing that, you could have the best hotels in the world.’”
Trump said: “Think of it from the real estate perspective. South Korea and China and they own the land in the middle. How bad is that?”
Trump said Kim reviewed a video that showed all this on a iPad, and he was impressed by what he saw.
“That was a version of what could happen and what could take place,” he said.
Watch:
Asked about a possible second summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, President Donald Trump told reporters that while one hasn’t been set up yet, “We’ll probably need another summit or meeting.”
When asked how the North Korean regime would be able to foot the bill for denuclearization while under sanctions, Trump suggested South Korea and Japan would be able to provide the financial assistance.
The US, Trump said, “won’t have to help them.”
Responding to a question about the North Koreans being kept in what a reporter described as a “network of gulags,” President Trump said that he “helped them” today, and they were one of the big winners from his talks with Kim Jong Un.
“I think I helped them,” Trump said. “At a certain point I believe he is going to do things about it. I think they are one of the great winners today. That large group of people that you are talking about. I think they will be one of the great winners as a group.”
President Trump defended himself from critics who say the United States is not getting anything out of his meeting with Kim Jong Un.
“The President has agreed to meet, he has given up so much,” he said, paraphrasing his critics.
Trump said the summit was “as good for the United States as it was for North Korea.”
“Yeah sure, they got a meeting,” Trump said, but “only a person that dislikes Donald Trump” would say he got nothing in exchange, citing Kim’s commitment to complete denuclearization, the return of the three American hostages, and the commitment to recover the remains of fallen American heroes.
He continued, “It’s not a big deal to meet. I think we should meet on a lot of different topics.”
President Trump said Tuesday he would push for North Korea to denuclearize as “fast as it can mechanically,” but acknowledged it could take a long time.
“Scientifically you have to wait certain periods of time,” Trump said. “But once you start the process it means it’s pretty much over.”
He said the process would start “very soon,” and added sanctions would be removed “when we are sure the nukes are no longer a factor.”
“I actually look forward to taking them off,” he said, adding that would happen “down the road when nothing’s going to happen.”
President Donald Trump told reporters that he will visit Pyongyang “at a certain time.”
“That will be a day that I very much look forward to at the appropriate time,” he said.
He added that he invited Kim Jong Un to the White House and he accepted, but it will have to take place “at the appropriate time, a little bit further down the road.”
President Donald Trump said Tuesday he does indeed “trust” North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“I do,” he said when asked by CNN’s Jim Acosta if he trusts Kim. “I do. I think he wants to get it done.”
Watch the exchange:
President Trump said he’s confident that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “will live up to” the document that they both signed.
“I don’t think they have ever had the confidence in a president they have right now for getting things done and ability to get things done,” Trump said.
“He was very firm in the fact that he wants to do this – I think he might want to do this as much or even more than me. They see a bright future for North Korea. So you never know, right.”
President Trump praised Kim Jong Un’s ability to run a country at a young age when pressed about his comments about Kim’s brutal tactics.
“He is very talented,” Trump said, citing Kim’s ability to “take over a situation like he did at 26 years of age and run it, and run it tough.”
Speaking at a news conference following his historic summit, President Trump said he hopes the Korean War will finally end, more than 70 years after it began.
“Nearly 70 years ago, think of that, 70 years ago, an extremely bloody conflict ravaged the Korean peninsula. Countless people died in the conflict, including tens of thousands of brave Americans. While the armistice was agreed to, the war never ended to this day, never ended. But now we can all have hope that it will soon end. And it will.
Trump continued: “The past does not have to define the future. Yesterday’s conflict does not have to be tomorrow’s war. And as history has proven over and over again, adversaries can, indeed, become friends.”
At another summit in April, The leaders of North and South Korea pledged to bring a formal end to the Korean War, 65 years after hostilities ceased.
Watch:
President Trump said Tuesday the United States will stop the “war games,” an apparent reference to joint military exercises with South Korea that North Korea has long rebuked as provocative.
Trump also said he hopes to eventually withdraw US forces from South Korea, but said “that’s not part of the equation right now.”
Trump said he had agreed to stop the “war games” because he considers them “very provocative” and said it would save the United States “a tremendous amount of money.”
President Trump responded to a question about North Korea’s human rights, particularly Otto Warmbier, the American student who was imprisoned in North Korea and died upon repatriation to the US.
“It was a terrible thing, it was brutal, a lot of people started to focus on what was going on,” including “in North Korea,” Trump said in response to a question.
But he added: “Otto was someone who did not die in vain.”
What Trump said:
Otto Warmbier is a very special person and he will be for a long time in my life. His parents are good friends of mine. I think without Otto, this would not have happened. Something happened from that day. It was a terrible thing. It was brutal. But a lot of people started to focus on what was going on, including North Korea. I really think that Otto is someone who did not die in vain. I told this to his parents. Special young man. And I have to say, special parents, special people. Otto did not die in vain. He had a lot to do with this.
On human rights, Trump added: “It was discussed, it will be discussed more in the future, human rights.” He also said that the remains of those who fought in the Korean War will be repatriated.
President Trump says Kim Jong Un told him that North Korea is destroying a major missile engine testing site.
“North Korea is already destroying a major missile engine testing site,” Trump said.
The commitment was not included in the joint declaration the two men signed, but Trump said: “We agreed to that after the agreement was signed.”
Trump also outlined the agreement that he and Kim signed earlier. He said Kim reaffirmed “his unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.”
Trump said Kim “wants to do that.”
President Trump is speaking to the press after his summit with Kim Jong Un in Singapore. He took the stage after a well-produced video about Kim’s unique chance at changing North Korea’s path forward.
Trump said it was “a tape” that was given to Kim’s representatives and it “captures a lot. It captures what can be done.”
Trump said that the day was spent with “very intensive hours” with Kim that resulted in a “comprehensive document.” He says that he delivered a message of “hope… and peace.”
President Trump is expected to speak to the media at 4:00 p.m. local time (that’s 4:00 a.m. ET for those of you still awake).
There’s currently one podium in the room, which is already filling up with reporters.
We’ll stream the event live in the player above.
Adam Mount, senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists, told CNN the language on denuclearization in the agreement signed by President Trump and Kim Jong Un Tuesday is surprisingly weak.
He added there was no mention of verifiable or irreversible denuclearization in the Singapore summit agreement.
But it’s not a failure: Mount added that this doesn’t mean the Trump-Kim meeting was a failure by any means. “If the summit genuinely results in continued interactions, that result in a reduction of tension on the Peninsula, it will be seen as a success,” he told CNN.
“Over time if we can reduce the conventional threat to South Korea, if we can raise human rights issue, that process could eventually in result in nuclear limits.”
President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a document committing to work towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
But just how advanced are the North’s capabilities?
While there’s been no independent confirmation one way or the other, US intelligence analysts have told CNN they are probably telling the truth.
The agreement by Kim Jong Un to “work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” echoes his language after the summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in April.
In the Panmunjom Declaration, signed by Moon and Kim on April 27, both leaders “confirmed the common goal of realizing, through complete denuclearization, a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.”
When asked at his signing with Kim if North Korea had agreed to denuclearize, President Trump said, “We’re starting that process very quickly, very, very quickly. Absolutely.”
Photographers were able to snap photographs of the document President Trump and Kim Jong Un signed at the conclusion of the summit, which showed that they had agreed to work towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Here it is (click here to open in a new, larger view):
Photographs of the document signed by President Trump indicate the leaders agreed to “work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
The document indicates the leaders will work toward establishment of “new US-DPRK relations.”
The document reads:
President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new US-DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has praised Tuesday’s meeting between Kim Jong Un and US President Trump, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry.
Wang said he hoped the summit would help “clear interferences, establish mutual trust and overcome difficulties so that they will reach a basic consensus on, and take concrete steps toward, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
The Chinese government is a long-time ally of North Korea and has pushed for talks between Pyongyang and Washington for more than a year.
A document was signed, compliments were made and photos were taken after a historic day of talks between President Trump and Kim Jong Un.
But there are still big questions over what the two leaders actually agreed to over almost five hours of talks and negotiations.
Trump will get a chance to clarify some of them.
The President is due to speak to the media soon, at 2:30 p.m. local time (2:30 a.m. ET). The US leader told reporters he would elaborate on the agreement then.
Air Force One is scheduled to fly out of Singapore in the evening, at about 7 p.m. local time.
Kim Jong Un’s motorcade is departing Sentosa Island in Singapore after a historic summit with President Trump.
The two leaders just signed a joint agreement, although the exact details are still unknown.
Trump and Kim spent the day in talks and meetings with top advisers.
Speaking moments after the two leaders signed the unspecified document, President Trump said that he had developed a “very special bond” with Kim Jong Un. “It’s been an honor to be with you.”
When asked if he would invite Kim to the White House, Trump responded that he would: “Absolutely, I will.”
Standing again in front of the US and North Korean flags, where they began the historic day, Trump and Kim shook hands one final time.
“(He’s) a worthy negotiator,” Trump said to the gathered reporters. “He’s negotiating on behalf of his people.”
Trump was asked what he had learned about the North Korean leader. “I learned he’s a very talented man. I also learned he loves his country very much.”
Trump said they would meet again.
President Trump says denuclearization process for North Korea is starting ” very, very quickly.”
Asked if North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to denuclearize, Trump said, “We’re starting that process very quickly, very, very quickly. Absolutely.”
President Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un are signing a joint agreement, although the exact details are still unknown.
“We’re signing a very important document, a pretty comprehensive document,” Trump told the waiting reporters. He said he would discuss it “at great length” at an upcoming news conference, and indicated it would be made available publicly.
Kim said he wanted to express his gratitude to President Trump for making the meeting happen.
“We had a historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind and we are about to sign the historic document,” Kim said through a translator.
A US official told CNN earlier the document would acknowledge the progress of the talks and pledge to keep momentum going.
It follows a day of historic talks at Singapore’s Capella Hotel, on Sentosa Island – the first meeting between a sitting US President and a North Korean leader.
No signing had been planned at the beginning of the day, although a large amount of time had been left free after a working lunch schedule for 11:30 a.m. local time (11:30 p.m. ET).
Trump first announced there would be “a signing” shortly after midday, during a stroll with Kim around the hotel grounds.
South Korea President Moon Jae-in watched the historic meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un from his cabinet room in Seoul.
When the two leaders shook hands for the first time, Moon smiled, according to pictures released by the South Korean president’s office.
Moon had his own meeting with Kim Jong Un in April, which was widely viewed as a success.
President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sat down with their top advisers during a expanded bilateral meeting at the summit in Singapore.
Here’s who went to the meeting:
President Trump gave Kim Jong Un a quick peek inside the presidential limousine during their talks in Singapore on Tuesday.
Television footage showed US Secret Service agents opening the door of the heavily armored “Beast” as Trump showed Kim the interior.
President Trump and Kim Jong Un will sign an agreement to acknowledge the progress of the talks and pledge to keep momentum going, a US official told CNN.
The official said he would not get ahead of the President on hard specifics of any agreement.
Trump surprised reporters by announcing there would be “a signing” in the afternoon, during a stroll around the Capella Hotel with Kim.
No official events had been planned until Trump’s meeting with the press at 4 p.m. local time (4 a.m. ET).
President Trump just told reporters that he and Kim Jong Un were off to “a signing” after their working lunch.
Trump made the remark during a brief stroll around the Capella Hotel with Kim. The President also said the talks had gone “better than anybody could have expected.”
There is no information on what they could be signing or whether any agreements have been reached.
No more official events were planned until Trump meets the press at 4 p.m. local time (4 a.m. ET), according to the White House’s schedule this morning.
Watch:
North Korea’s top newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, splashed photos of Kim Jong Un’s unprecedented visit to Singapore on Wednesday, including his walking tour of the glamorous city. CNN correspondent Will Ripley, who has traveled to North Korea nearly 20 times, called the images “extraordinary.”
“It’s extraordinary to me because normally North Korea waits 24 hours or longer after these events, the message is vetted and edited and North Koreans find out about it after the rest of the world,” CNN correspondent Will Ripley said.
President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are meeting right now in Singapore for their historic summit. Here’s how it’s gone, in photos.
Earlier, Trump and Kim shook hands.
They had a one-on-one meeting.
Trump and Kim went on a short walk.
They sat down with their top advisers.
Meanwhile, people in Tokyo were glued to their TV screens.
At the extended bilateral meeting earlier Tuesday, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un said he believed sitting down with President Trump is “a great prelude to peace.”
Trump agreed, saying, “I do too.”
Kim continued: “As I said earlier, until now, others have been unable to attempt.”
Note: The US press pool wasn’t invited into this spray, so the following video was provided by Singapore’s government photographers.
President Trump and Kim Jong Un are sitting down with top officials from both countries for a working lunch, a bit later than originally planned.
The extended bilateral negotiations were scheduled to end at about 11:30 a.m. local time (11:30 p.m. ET), according to the White House.
But instead the two were pictured taking their seats at a long table, with their primary advisers, about 20 minutes late.
Trump invited Kim to sit down, before jokingly asking photographers to take photos which would make them look “nice and handsome and thin.”
There are no official events scheduled for the rest of the day until Trump meets with reporters at 4 p.m. in the afternoon (4 a.m ET).
Watch the moment:
During negotiations for the Singapore summit, the North Koreans were “very conscious” to ensure the United States was presented as their equal throughout.
“They wanted to make sure both in ceremony and in security and every other way that we’re presenting to the world an image that presents them as equals,” the official said. “The North Koreans were very conscious of that.”
The US largely agreed to North Korea’s demands for parity in all aspects of the summit, from the number of officials during the bilateral meetings to the number of US and North Korean flags side by side during the arrival ceremony.
The images of the six US and six North Korean flags in the background of the Trump-Kim handshake will undoubtedly be used by North Korean propaganda to suggest the US and North Korea are on level footing.
The official said the requests for parity were made even in situations where it might not be logistically necessary.
Still, the official said the official summit logo had been designed by the US side. The North Koreans approved of it.
When President Trump and Kim Jong Un sit down for their working lunch, at about 11:30 a.m. local time (11:30 p.m. ET), there’ll be an assortment of Western and Korean dishes on offer.
Joining Kim and Trump at lunch will be all the delegates from the morning’s extended bilateral, as well as a few extra advisers.
Among them will be Sarah Sanders, the White House Press Secretary, and Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister and the first deputy director of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un became the first sitting leaders of their respective countries to meet in person on Tuesday.
The world watched as the two leaders shook hands and exchanged words during the historic meeting, which happened just after 9 a.m. local time (9 p.m. ET).
Here’s what happened:
Trump and Kim met with a handshake:
Trump and Kim gave brief side-by-side comments:
They sat down for an expanded bilateral meeting:
Walking on the colonnade of the Capella Hotel, Kim Jong Un told President Trump many people around the world wouldn’t believe what was taking place in Singapore.
Kim is currently meeting with President Trump and his top advisers. At the start of the talks, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un acknowledged it wouldn’t be a smooth road ahead.
“Of course there are challenges ahead, but I am (“ready” or “willing”, unclear) to do this,” Kim told the top US leadership.
The two men are due to hold talks until 11:30 a.m. local time (11:30 p.m. ET) when they will hold a working lunch.
No matter what comes next in the talks between Kim Jong Un and President Trump, their handshake will remain historic, Jean H. Lee, a North Korea expert at the US-based Wilson Center, told CNN.
“I’m really thinking about how this is going to play in Pyongyang because this is such a powerful moment for the North Korean people,” she said.
“It will be celebrated in North Korea as the moment the United States acknowledged and treated North Korea as an equal.”
Lee said for the US president to fly half way around the world to meet the leader of a “very poor and very small country” lent him a huge amount of legitimacy.
“This is what (Kim) had in mind when he ramped up and accelerated the testing of his devices – to force the President to come to the negotiating table,” Lee said. “It’s stunning to watch and chilling for me to see because we are giving him exactly what he wanted.”
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said it was “a sleepless night” for him ahead of meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un on Tuesday.
Speaking ahead of a cabinet meeting, Moon said he hoped the summit would be a success so a “new chapter” could open.
Moon is seen by many as the architect of the breakthrough in diplomacy with North Korea. Elected in 2016, he has long been an advocate of peaceful relations with Pyongyang.
Some of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s top advisers have joined him at the table with President Trump and the US leadership.
Sitting in on the Trump summit is Vice-Chairman of the Party Central Committee Kim Yong Chol, one of Pyongyang’s top go-to diplomats.
It was Kim Yong Chol who met with President Trump in early June to deliver a personal letter from Kim Jong Un, when it looked like the summit would fall through.
Also joining the Pyongyang delegation is Ri Yong Ho, North Korea’s Foreign Minister, and Ri Su Yong, the Vice-Chairman of the Central Committee of the Worker’s Party of Korea.
Nowhere to be seen is the North Korean leader’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, who previously joined her brother for talks with the South Korean leadership in April.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not answer when asked whether he would give up his nuclear weapons.
However, President Trump predicted he would work with Kim to resolve differences over North Korea’s nuclear program.
“Working together we’ll get it taken care of,” Trump said at the start of an expanded meeting. He said the two leaders “will solve a big problem, a big dilemma.”
Kim and President Trump have begun their second rounds of talks, which will end with a working lunch.
President Trump and Kim Jong Un have begun their second series of talks after their personal one-on-one meeting concluded this morning.
Trump, sitting alongside Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, national security adviser John Bolton, White House chief of staff John Kelly and an interpreter told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that he believes “we will be successful.”
“We will be successful,” Trump told Kim, sitting directly across from him. “And I look forward to working on it with you. It will be done.”
Kim also offered brief remarks through an interpreter.
The extended talks are due to end at 11:30 a.m. local time (11:30 p.m. ET) with a working lunch.
President Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un have stepped out of their one-on-one talks to take a walk around the Capella Hotel, where the summit is being held.
After leaving the first session of their summit, Trump told waiting reporters the meeting had been “very, very good.”
“Excellent relationship,” he said from the balcony of the Capella Hotel.
They were in their personal meeting for about 35 minutes, and are due to start further meetings with advisers at 10 a.m. local time (10 p.m. ET).
Kim has taken a lot of private walks with world leaders since he stepped onto the world stage earlier this year.
In April, Kim went with South Korean President Moon Jae-in for a long stroll around the demilitarized zone, which divides the two countries.
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman told CNN that Tuesday’s historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Trump was years in the making.
In an emotional interview, Rodman said he always believed in helping North Korea. He said he was even threatened for defending North Korea.
“It’s a great day. I am here to see it. I’m so happy,” he said. Rodman said he tried talking to former President Obama. “And Obama did not give me the time of day,” he said.
Watch the interview:
President Trump and Kim held their first handshake for a dozen seconds as they exchanged a few inaudible words before a display of American and North Korean flags. It was just the beginning of a warm exchange of body language between the two men.
Trump briefly grabbed Kim’s upper arm at the beginning of their handshake and then put his arm on Kim’s back to guide them to their meeting room.
They then spoke briefly in a corridor before entering their meeting room and both men were smiling as they shook hands again with just two interpreters at their sides.
Trump patted Kim on the back at several points as they made their way along a colonnade to a room for their first meeting.
Trump also offered Kim a thumbs’ up after Kim said “we overcame all” of the obstacles that stood in their way.
The interpreter with President Trump is Dr. Yun-hyang Lee, according to a source source familiar.
She’s the division chief of interpreting services at the State Department.
President Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un are now meeting one-on-one, the first time a sitting US president has sat down for talks with a North Korean leader.
They are expected to speak alone for another 40 minutes, before other advisers join them for expanded talks at 10 a.m. local time (10 p.m. ET).
The two men will then hold a working lunch, beginning at 11.30 a.m. local time, before the summit ends in the afternoon.
No time has been announced for when the talks might conclude.
President Trump is expected to speak to reporters at 4 p.m. local time (4 a.m. ET), when we’re likely to hear what has been accomplished during the day.
Air Force One will then depart Singapore in the early evening, at about 7 p.m. local time.
Speaking to reporters after their first handshake, President Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un expressed optimism that the summit would be a success.
What Trump said: The President expressed hope that the historic summit would be “tremendously successful.” Sitting next to the North Korean leader, Trump said, “We will have a terrific relationship ahead.”
What Kim said: The North Korean dictator said there were a number of “obstacles” to the meeting taking place in Singapore today. “We overcame all of them and we are here today,” he told reporters through a translator.
Watch:
President Trump and Kim Jong Un have headed in for their first face-to-face talks on Tuesday, joined only by two translators.
They’ll meet one-on-one for just under an hour, before expanded talks begin at 10 a.m. local time (10 p.m. ET).
On the agenda are North Korea’s nuclear capabilities. Trump is hoping he can convince Kim to give up his weapons.
It is the meeting which the Trump has teased could happen for years. In May 2016, during his campaign, Trump said he would be willing to sit down with Kim.
“I would speak to him, I would have no problem speaking to him,” Trump said at the time.
President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met and shook hands, kicking off their history-making summit Tuesday morning local time.
They are the first leaders of their respective countries to meet, the culmination of months of diplomatic wrangling and negotiations.
It is a stunning development for the two nations, who regularly traded threats and insults throughout 2017.
The two men will now meet one-on-one meeting in the Capella Hotel, accompanied only by their translators, ahead of expanded talks at 10 a.m. local time (10 p.m. ET).
On the agenda is North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, which Trump is hoping to convince them to abandon in exchange for economic assistance.
Watch the historic moment:
President Trump has emerged from his limousine at the site of his summit with Kim Jong Un. Cameras captured Trump, in a red tie, stepping from his car and into the hotel building.
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is entering the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island.
Watch the moment:
Moments after he arrived at the summit site for his historic meeting, President Trump sent a tweet announcing that chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow has suffered a heart attack.
“Our Great Larry Kudlow, who has been working so hard on trade and the economy, has just suffered a heart attack. He is now in Walter Reed Medical Center,” Trump tweeted.
10:31 p.m. ET: The White House later said Kudlow is in good condition after suffering a “very mild heart attack.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said “his doctors expect he will make a full and speedy recovery.”
Kudlow was not traveling with the President in Singapore, but he had just returned to the US from the G7 summit in Canada, where trade tensions dominated the atmosphere.
Here’s Trump’s tweet:
This post has been updated with new details about Kudlow’s heart attack.
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un’s motorcade has arrived at the Capella Hotel on Singapore’s Sentosa Island, ahead of his historic summit with President Trump.
The two leaders are due to shake hands in half an hour, the first time a sitting US President has met his North Korean counterpart.
They are expected to meet one-on-one, only accompanied by translators, for almost an hour starting from 9 a.m. local time (9 p.m. ET.)
This is one of the questions that has gone into the planning of the summit today. A long discussion has transpired in recent days, with some aides warning POTUS that too friendly of a greeting could be used as propaganda against the US.
So it’s unclear whether he will smile as he often does when greeting world leaders. But a senior US official said the welcome will be “warm, polite, respectful” — but not filled with a big smile.
Of course it’s up to the president to make a game time decision for how he greets Kim for their photo op.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s motorcade has left the St. Regis hotel, and he’s on his way to the summit on Sentosa Island.
He is due to meet President Trump in less than an hour, at 9 a.m. local time (9 p.m. ET). After their initial greeting, they’ll have a morning of one-on-one talks.
Trump’s motorcade has already arrived at the summit site, after departing around 8 a.m. local time.
President Trump has arrived at the Capella Hotel in Singapore, ahead of his historic summit with Kim Jong Un.
The two leaders will shake hands in just under an hour, the first time a sitting US President has met with a North Korean leader.
Trump’s social media director tweeted this video showing the motorcade arriving at the island.
President Trump’s motorcade has left the Shangri-La Hotel, where the US leader is staying, and is en route to his historic meeting with Kim Jong Un.
Trump will meet for one-on-one talks with Kim at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island at 9 a.m. local time (9 p.m. ET).
President Trump had phone calls with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday ahead of the North Korea-US summit.
The White House released a statement about the two phone calls:
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has left the Shangri-La Hotel and is on his way to the summit. The State Department tweeted out a photo of him on his way.
Pompeo has met North Korea’s Kim Jong Un before, during negotiations for the summit in Pyongyang.
President Trump vowed last week to refrain from using the term “maximum pressure” in his talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Although the President said “maximum pressure is absolutely in effect,” he insisted on Thursday that he doesn’t use “the term anymore because we are going into a friendly negotiation.”
But Trump is not opposed to using the term again if the talks go awry.
“Perhaps after that negotiation, I will be using it again. You’ll know how well we do with the negotiation – If you hear me saying we are going to use maximum pressure, you know the negotiation did not do well, frankly.”
North Koreans in Pyongyang are getting their first glimpse of the Singapore summit.
Photos show North Koreans on Monday watching as news of the historic summit with President Trump was announced.
North Korean news anchor RI Chun Hee informed the nation that the meeting was a “historic first” that is “garnering the attention and hopes of the entire world.”
This is likely the first time ordinary North Koreans have received details about the aims of the Trump-Kim summit. The meeting itself was previously announced in a state-run wire in May.
It highlights one of the big questions around the Trump/Kim summit — if relations warm with the United States, how will North Korea undo decades of furious anti-Washington propaganda?
CNN’s Will Ripley said during his visits to North Korea in recent months, he has seen a change in the tone of the propaganda posters, from violent images of war to promises of peace.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was apparently very impressed with Singapore during his unexpected late-night tour, the country’s state broadcaster KCNA said Tuesday.
Kim surprised locals by taking walking tour of the city late on Monday, where he was cheered by crowds and took a selfie with the country’s foreign minister.
According to KCNA, Kim went to the top of Singapore’s iconic Marina Bay Sands Building, where he was impressed with his view of the city.
Kim thanked Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan for his tour of the city, state media said.
President Trump is about three hours away from meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. Now, he’s tweeting about the “haters and losers” who say this summit “is a major loss to the U.S.”
Here’s the tweet:
Watch more:
Nearly two decades before he was elected President, Trump was already talking about North Korea.
In a 1999 interview, Trump told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that North Korea was “totally out of control.”
“North Korea is totally out of control and would you rather have a very, very serious chat with them now, and if necessary you might have to do something fairly drastic, or would you rather have to go after them in five years when they have more nuclear warheads and missiles when we do?”
He added: “If spoken to correctly — correctly — they will play ball.”
Watch the clip from 1999:
It’s about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday in Singapore, and President Trump is tweeting.
Trump is set to meet with Kim Jong Un at 9 a.m. local time, which is 9 p.m. Monday ET. Their summit destination is Capella Hotel on Singapore’s Sentosa Island.
After their initial greeting, Trump and Kim will head into a room for the summit. We don’t know how long they will speak.
It was an invitation from Kim Jong Un in March which sparked Tuesday’s Singapore summit with President Trump.
But the Kim family has been desperate to meet with a US President for decades, going back to Kim Jong Un’s father and grandfather.
“To have a summit with a US President is something that many countries aspire to. So for North Korea, for a tiny country which is technically still at war with the US, for their leader to sit down with a president is huge deal,” Jean H. Lee, a North Korea expert at the US-based Wilson Center, told CNN.
The meeting is a sign of legitimacy for North Korea, experts said, an indication that their leader is being taken seriously by the most powerful country in the world.
Former US President Bill Clinton came closest to meeting with Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il, in 2000 but eventually decided against the idea, owing to a lack of trust.
White House legislative affairs director Marc Short said discussions “have been moving rapidly” and said he believes there will be “progress to announce” soon.
Short’s comments came after CNN asked him why the President moved up his departure time from Singapore.
Watch more:
Trump last week said he plans to address human rights when he meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“We’ll bring it up,” the President told reporters before departing for the G7 Summit.
What you need to know about human rights in North Korea: North Korea has perpetuated human rights abuses for decades, according to watchdog agencies, human rights groups and the US government. A 2014 report from a United Nations Human Rights Council commission found the authoritarian regime had committed “systemic, widespread and gross human rights violations” including “arbitrary detention, torture, executions and enforced disappearance to political prison camps, violations of the freedoms of thought, expression and religion, (and) discrimination on the basis of State-assigned social class, gender, and disability.”
One case Trump could bring up: That of Otto Warmbier, the American who died after 17 months detention in North Korea.
Vice President Mike Pence said over the weekend that he had spoken with Warmbier’s father recently and that Trump was going into the summit with “with the family of Otto Warmbier on his heart.”
A US official says President Trump’s departure was moved up by more than 12 hours because Kim Jong Un set his departure for shortly after the summit.
The official confirms to CNN Bloomberg reporting about the schedule change.
The official cautions, however, that schedule could always change if meeting goes well and there is more to discuss. But official says meeting is intended to be “start of a relationship” and there will more to come between both sides if things go well.
Here’s what White House Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Short said about the schedule:
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong tells CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that if Trump uses a “go it alone” strategy, American influence will be diminished.
“If on many issues the US is going it alone, that’s a different kind of world which the US will be facing. And you are very powerful, but I think your influence will be less than if you went in together with others.”
Speaking in Singapore, Lee said that on some issues — like Iran — the US will maintain significant influence through things like sanctions, but that overall its ability to have an impact will be lessened.
Here’s more from CNN’s Christiane Amanpour:
It is possibly the most important word at Tuesday’s negotiations and also the one around which there is the least clarity: denuclearization.
What the United States wants: Complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization — or CVID as it has become commonly known.
What North Korea wants: This is less clear. Although North Korea keeps mentioning the word, it has yet to say specifically what its version of denuclearization would involve.
South Korea and the United States have insisted all sides are on the same page about the removal of North Korea’s nuclear weapons. But some experts have pointed out Pyongyang often refers to complete denuclearization “of the Korean Peninsula” — which would include a withdrawal of United States troops as well.
President Trump’s summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is poised to be the most popular action of his presidency so far, even though a new survey shows most Americans believe the eventual goal of any negotiations — “complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization” — will never happen.
A new Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday lays out the short-term optimism from American voters on negotiations with North Korea:
Here’s the full breakdown of the poll:
US officials negotiated with a North Korean delegation to determine the location and time for the summit. Security had been a chief concern for the North Koreans during the discussions, sources told CNN.
And it appears that Singapore checked all the boxes.
Here’s why Singapore was chosen for the summit:
Location, location, location: It’s just close enough for Kim to fly relatively easily from Pyongyang. Ties to the US: Singapore is also one of Washington’s closest Asian security and trading partners. The embassies: The US and North Korea both have embassies in Singapore. Trading partners: Both countries trade Singapore. But North Korean trade is currently suspended because of sanctions. Its reputation: Singapore also has a growing reputation for being a hub of regional diplomacy. Protesting? Think again: Singapore does not tolerate disorderly protests and rowdy press conferences. It’s neutral ground: This is key for the US.
Dennis Rodman said he hopes the Trump-Kim Jong Un summit is a “success” and is “happy to be part of it” because he “deserves” it.
While responding to a CNN question shortly after his arrival at Singapore airport, Rodman said:
“I’m just happy to be a part of it because I think I deserve it, I think I brought awareness on a lot of things around the world, and I think North Korea has given a lot of people the opportunity to do this conference now. And I hope it’s a success.”
He added the meeting between the two leaders “should go fairly well” but that “people expect too much for the first time” although the “door was opening.”
Rodman would not comment on whether he would be meeting with either President Trump or Kim Jong Un.
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman just arrived in Singapore for the upcoming summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“He is willing to offer his support for his friends, President Trump and Marshall Kim Jong Un,” Rodman’s agent, Darren Prince, said.
Rodman has traveled to North Korea in the past and seems to have struck up an unlikely friendship with the North Korean leader. The basketball great also was a contestant on Trump’s NBC show, “Celebrity Apprentice,” in 2013.
President Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un will meet in just a few hours. Here’s what to watch for and when, according to the White House schedule.
Before he left for his summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in Singapore, President Trump attended another high-profile meeting: The G7 in Canada.
This summit, which is a gathering of leaders from seven allied countries, is usually a meeting among friends. But not what quite happened.
As CNN’s Chris Cillizza put it: “Whatever happens in Singapore over the next day or two, it’s uniquely possible — and maybe even likely — that what Trump did in Quebec on Friday and Saturday will matter more in the country’s long-term geopolitical future, and not in a good way.”
Here’s what happened — all before landing in Singapore:
North Korea’s leader, who is staying at the St. Regis, is on the move in Singapore.
Kim went to Marina Bay Sands, a popular hotel in the city. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reported that there were cheers when he walked into the hotel.
He meets with President Trump in less than 12 hours.
Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan tweeted a photo with Kim Jong Un on an apparent tour of the city.
The tweet shows Balakrishnan and Kim Jong Un smiling at the camera and reads: “#jalanjalan #guesswhere?”
“Jalan-jalan” means “taking a walk” in Malay.
Just a few hours ago, the foreign minister also tweeted a photo showing Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Chief of Staff John Kelly celebrating Trump’s birthday, which is on June 14.
President Trump called Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday for both leaders to be “on the same page” ahead of the North Korea-US summit on Tuesday.
“I think Japan and the US, along with South Korea are in ‘complete agreement’ over the basic policy” on North Korea, Abe told reporters on Monday.
Abe added that he hoped Tuesday’s summit will be a “historic meeting and it will be the first step toward peace and stability in Northeast Asia.”
He also said Trump had renewed his pledge to bring up the issue of the abduction of Japanese citizens to North Korea.
President Trump’s meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un was first announced in March. Since then, it has been abruptly canceled — and just as abruptly put back on the calendar.
Here’s a look at how the summit came to be:
President Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un will meet for the first time at the Capella Hotel on Singapore’s Sentosa Island.
Delegations from the US and North Korea met four times last week at the Capella Hotel to hash out the logistics of the summit, with setting an appropriate venue for the summit at the top of the agenda.
The red-shingled, colonial-style Capella is a five-star hotel on Sentosa Island, which boasts several resorts, hotels, two golf courses and a theme park.
The five-star luxury hotel, which has 112 rooms, is representative of the East-meets-West spirit so commonly associated with Singapore. Rooms look out onto the South China Sea, and peacocks can be seen on the property.
