A day after their historic summit, US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un returned to their respective strongholds, but to far different receptions.
In Pyongyang, Kim woke up yesterday morning to state media’s enthusiastic claims of a victorious meeting with the US president; photographs of him standing side-by-side with Trump on the world stage were splashed across newspapers.
Meanwhile, Trump faced questions about whether he gave away too much in return for far too little when he bestowed a new legitimacy on Kim’s rule and agreed, at Pyongyang’s request, to end war games with Seoul.
Photo: AFP
As US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo jetted to South Korea for follow-up talks, much of Asia was still trying to process the whirlwind events of the day before.
There were worries, especially in Tokyo and Seoul, about Trump agreeing to halt US military exercises with South Korea.
That concession appeared to catch the Pentagon and officials in Seoul off guard, and some South Koreans were alarmed.
Pompeo yesterday left Singapore on his way to Seoul, where he planned to meet privately in the evening with General Vincent Brooks, commander of US Forces Korea, and is to meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in this morning to discuss the summit.
Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Taro Kono is also heading to Seoul and is due to meet with Pompeo and his South Korean counterpart.
Pompeo then plans to fly to Beijing to update the Chinese government on the talks.
Trump on Twitter said that meeting meant “the World has taken a big step back from potential Nuclear catastrophe!”
“No more rocket launches, nuclear testing or research! The hostages are back home with their families. Thank you to Chairman Kim, our day together was historic!” he added.
Trump insisted that strong verification of denuclearization would be included in a final agreement, saying it was a detail his team would begin sorting out with the North Koreans next week.
The North yesterday suggested that Trump had moved away from his demand for complete denuclearization before US sanctions are removed.
The Korean Central News Agency said the leaders “shared recognition to the effect that it is important to abide by the principle of step-by-step and simultaneous action in achieving peace, stability and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
It also said that Trump had expressed his intention to lift sanctions “over a period of goodwill dialogue” and accepted an invitation from Kim to visit North Korea.
The White House declined to comment on the North Korean characterization of the deal.
In Japan, the prospect of canceled US-South Korean drills was met with concern.
“The US-South Korea joint exercises and US forces in South Korea play significant roles for the security in East Asia,” Japanese Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera told reporters.
Japan wants to get further explanations from the US and South Korea on the issue, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, declining to comment further.
Additional reporting by AFP
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
MEET AND GREET: The White House, which called the interaction ‘just a handshake,’ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Biden planned to visit Taiwan’s envoy to the APEC summit, Lin Hsin-i (林信義), on Friday invited US President Joe Biden to visit Taiwan. During the APEC Leaders’ Informal Dialogue, Lin, who represented President William Lai (賴清德) at the summit, spoke with Biden and expressed gratitude to the outgoing US president for his contribution to improving bilateral ties between Taipei and Washington over the past four years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Lin and Biden exchanged views during the conversation, with Lin extending an invitation to Biden to visit Taiwan, it said. Biden is to step down in January next year, when US president-elect Donald Trump is
RSS