US, NK officials hold marathon talks ahead of Kim’s visit
SINGAPORE. - As the countdown to the historic summit between United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was fast approaching, officials from both countries held marathon talks yesterday to finalise details of a nuclear agreement ahead of their leaders’ meeting today.
Ambassador Sung Kim, the State Department’s top Korea expert, met Choe Son-hui, the North’s vice foreign minister, at the Ritz Carlton hotel for negotiations on what will be included in the summit agreement.
Trump and Kim are set to hold their historic meeting at the Capella Hotel on Singapore’s Sentosa Island today, with denuclearisation topping the agenda.
The working-level talks resumed late at night after the two sides left the hotel earlier in the day following less than five hours of negotiations.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said earlier in the day that US and North Korean officials held “substantive” talks.
“Substantive and detailed meetings in #Singapore today as Ambassador Kim meets with #DPRK @StateDept,” Pompeo tweeted, together with photos of the officials in talks.
Choe and Kim already had several rounds of discussions at Panmunjom on the inter-Korean border that were reportedly focused on summit agenda items, including denuclearisation and security assurance measures.
The working-level consultations are apparently aimed at making 11th-hour progress ahead of the summit since previous talks failed to narrow their differences over denuclearisation methods and timetables. The North’s leader arrived in Singapore on Sunday, his first-known trip outside Northeast Asia since taking power in 2011.
Shortly afterward, he had a meeting with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana palace, during which he expressed gratitude for providing logistical support for the summit.
Kim was also quoted as saying that, “If the summit produces positive outcomes, then the Singaporean government’s effort will be recorded in history forever.”
Yesterday morning, the North’s state-controlled media broke their silence on his overseas trip.
The Korean Central News Agency said issues of mutual concern, related to the “changed era,” will be on the agenda at the summit, including bilateral relations, peace and denuclearisation.
Trump also flew into Singapore on Sunday, shortly after attending the Group of 7 summit in Canada. Yesterday, he held talks with the Singaporean prime minister at the Istana.
“Great to be in Singapore, excitement in the air!” he tweeted ahead of the meeting.
Speaking to reporters in Canada, Trump called his talks with Kim a “onetime shot” for the North’s young ruler.
“I feel that Kim Jong-un wants to do something great for his people,” he said. “And he has that opportunity, and he won’t have that opportunity again.”
They plan to start the first-ever faceto-face meeting between the leaders of the Korean War foes at Sentosa’s Capella Hotel at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the North Korean leader took a nighttime tour of Singapore’s waterfront area yesterday evening.
After leaving St. Regis Hotel, Kim visited the city-state’s tourist attractions, including Gardens by the Bay and the Marina Bay Sands integrated resorts.
The Straits Times posted a photo in which Kim posed with Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
Kim was also expected to visit the MBS SkyPark or the nearby Merlion Park, it added. Except for talks with Singapore’s Prime Minister Loong on Sunday evening, Kim had not stepped out of St Regis hotel. - Yonhap News/Herald Reporter.