The US president is optimistic about the planned summit with the North’s Kim Jong Un
U. S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism about a planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un following conversations Saturday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Trump tweeted he had a «very good talk» with Moon and updated Abe on plans for his anticipated summit with Kim.
Key U. S. leaders are expressing growing optimism that decades of hostility on the Korean Peninsula are closer than ever to coming to an end.
Trump said at a White House news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel Friday «I don’t think he’s playing» when asked about the historic summit between North and South Korea.
Trump added a meeting would be scheduled «very shortly» but didn’t specify a timeline, saying up to three possible sites are being considered for the much-anticipated summit in late May or early June.
Earlier Friday, Kim became the first North Korean leader to set foot in South Korea, when he crossed the border to shake the hand of South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
The two leaders agreed to work toward removing all nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula and vowed to pursue talks that would bring a formal end to the Korean war.
North Korea has in the past made similar commitments about its nuclear program, but failed to follow through. Asked whether Pyongyang’s commitment is real this time, Trump said «we’re not going to get played.»
«This isn’t like past administrations. We don’t play games,» said Trump, adding that previous administrations had been «played like a fiddle.
