WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Monday (Apr 30) he was confident his landmark summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will go…
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Monday (Apr 30) he was confident his landmark summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will go ahead, as he talked up the idea of holding it in the Demilitarised Zone between the two Koreas.
Trump revealed last week that two or three locations were under consideration for the historic meeting – which would be the first between a sitting US president and a leader of North Korea – but had yet to publicly name a potential site.
Addressing a joint press conference with his Nigerian counterpart Muhammadu Buhari, Trump confirmed that Singapore was under consideration as a location, but – following on from a morning tweet – said the DMZ should be given strong consideration.
“There’s something I like about it because you’re there – if things work out, there’s a great celebration to be had on the site, not in a third party country,” Trump said.
“We’re also looking at other countries including Singapore,” the US leader added. “Everybody wants us – it has the chance to be a big event.”
Other potential locations reportedly include Mongolia and Switzerland.
The Peace House in Panmunjom – the village in the DMZ where the 1953 armistice that halted the Korean War was signed – was where Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met on Friday in a major step towards easing tension on the flashpoint peninsula.
In his morning tweet, Trump had already floated the site as a possible venue.
“Numerous countries are being considered for the MEETING, but would Peace House/Freedom House, on the Border of North & South Korea, be a more Representative, Important and Lasting site than a third party country? Just asking!” Trump tweeted.
