Trump meets Kim, becomes first US President to enter N-Korea
What's the story
US President Donald Trump on Sunday created history by becoming the first ever sitting American President to set foot on the North Korean soil. He met Pyongyang' leader Kim Jong-un in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides the Korean Peninsula and later briefly stepped over the border into the North Korean territory too, in a historic first for any US President. Here's more.
Details
Trump walked into North Korean territory with leader Kim
After meeting at the Korean DMZ, Trump and Kim shook hands following which the latter invited the US President to cross into North Korea. Trump then walked with Kim for several steps and stayed in the North Korean territory for a few minutes, before crossing back into South Korea. Both the leaders were then joined by South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
Tweet
Trump earlier tweeted he would meet Kim at DMZ
The meeting between Trump and Kim comes after the US President issued an invitation to the North Korean leader on Twitter on Saturday, saying he would meet him at the DMZ. While attending the G20 Summit in Japan's Osaka, he tweeted, "If Chairman Kim of North Korea sees this, I would meet him at the Border/DMZ just to shake his hand and say Hello(?)!"
Twitter Post
Here's a video of Trump meeting Kim at DMZ
#WATCH US President Donald Trump meets North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Demilitarized zone between North Korea and South Korea. pic.twitter.com/F7ozzOdBqJ
— ANI (@ANI) June 30, 2019
Timing
'A very interesting suggestion,' says Pyongyang's Vice Foreign Minister
While Kim reportedly didn't respond to Trump's tweet, North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said that the US President's offer was "a very interesting suggestion," according to the country's North's official KCNA news agency. Notably, the meeting between both the leaders comes at a time the negotiations, between the US and North Korea over Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal, are at a deadlock.
Statement
Great day for the world; an honor for me: Trump
President Trump said it was an honor to meet Chairman Kim and step into North Korea. "It's a great day for the world and it's an honor for me to be here. A lot of really great things are happening, tremendous things," he said. "We met and we liked each other from Day One, and that was very important," Trump added.
Significance
Meeting with Trump had lot of significance, says Kim
After meeting President Trump at DMZ, Kim said, "Good to see you. I never expected to see you in this place." "We want to bring an end to our unpleasant past and bring in a new future, so this is a very courageous and determined act," he said. "This handshake of peace itself serves to demonstrate that today is different from yesterday," Kim added.