For many, the development was both unexpected and dramatic: US President Donald Trump agreed on Thursday to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the near future, with whom he became involved after taking power in an aggressive exchange of views. .
The place and date of the meeting between the 45th President of the United States and the leader of North Korea have not yet been clarified. This reversal, unthinkable a few weeks ago, comes after two years of tensions between Washington and Pyongyang amid accelerating North Korea's nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile programs.
In a short speech in the West Wing of the White House on Thursday night, Chang Li-ung, the national security adviser to the South Korean presidency, revealed that Trump accepted Kim's invitation to the historic summit. The North Korean leader "referred to his desire to meet with President Trump as soon as possible," he said, adding that Kim had vowed not to conduct new nuclear or ballistic missile tests and to discuss the denuclearization of his country in return. for the security of its status.
"President Trump (…) said he agrees to meet with Kim Jong Un by the end of May, to achieve permanent denuclearization," he added. Shortly afterwards, the White House confirmed that the 71-year-old US president had accepted the invitation of the enigmatic XNUMX-year-old North Korean leader.
Through Twitter, Donald Trump hailed the "great progress" on the North Korean issue, insisting that the Pyongyang strongman spoke of "denuclearization" and not just the "freezing" of his country's programs. "Sanctions will remain in force until an agreement is reached," he added.
US National Security Adviser General Herbert Raymond McMaster is expected to brief the United Nations Security Council on the developments. A US official clarified that Kim's letter to Trump was not delivered, as reported by the media earlier, but his challenge was served "orally".
The Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe today expressed satisfaction with the "change" of North Korea's position and the announcement of the forthcoming Trump-Kim summit, describing this development as "the result of cooperation (…) between Japan, the United States and the South." "Korea to exert continued strong pressure in coordination with the international community." "There is no policy change on the part of Japan and the United States," Abe added. "We will continue to exert maximum pressure until North Korea takes tangible steps to denuclearize it in a full, verifiable and irreversible manner.
"The announcement in Washington follows the spectacular easing of tensions on the Korean Peninsula since the beginning of the year, thanks to the Pyongyang Winter Olympics. Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in have decided, according to Seoul, to attend a third inter-Korean summit in late April, after those of 2000 and 2007. The summit will be held in the village of Panmunjom, in demilitarized zone separating the peninsula. Trump administration officials, however, urged that the development be treated with a degree of caution, following the months-long verbal war between Washington and Pyongyang.