President Trump became the first U.S. president to step onto North Korean soil on Sunday when he crossed into the Demilitarized Zone to meet with Kim Jong Un. After the roughly 45-minute-long meeting, Mr. Trump told reporters he and Kim had agreed to restart nuclear talks.
Mr. Trump and Kim shook hands at the border and Mr. Trump hailed his “great relationship” with Kim. Mr. Trump also invited Kim to the White House.
In an earlier press conference with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Mr. Trump said it is too soon to say if there will be a third summit after the failed summit earlier this year in Vietnam.
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Trump criticizes Democrats
Although Mr. Trump conceded “this is not a political speech,” he said to the troops in the audience the “Democrats were not going to give” more support.
“They want open borders and to hell with the military,” Mr. Trump alleged.
Pompeo and Ivanka Trump speak to troops
Mr. Trump invited his daugther Ivanka Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to come out on stage, calling them “beauty and the beast, Mike.”
Pompeo and Ivanka Trump both received cheers as they thanked the troops and said God bless America.
Trump speaking to troops at Osan Air Force base
Mr. Trump is speaking to troops at Osan Air Force Base in Panmunjom, South Korea. He described how he “actually stepped in” to North Korea to cheers from the crowd.
“We turned around and everyone so happy,” Mr. Trump said about after he crossed into North Korea.
Mr. Trump apologized for being over two hours late, but said he had a “great meeting” with Kim.
Trump says he’s looking forward to ending sanctions
As for the U.S.’ economic sanctions against North Korea, Mr. Trump said he doesn’t like sanctions. “I’m looking foward to taking them off,” he said.
Trump on Kim visit to U.S.: “I said at the right time, you’re going to come over”
Although Mr. Trump invited Kim to the White House in front of the journalists at the border, he told reporters later that while meeting with Kim, “I said, at the right time, you’re going to come over.”
But Mr. Trump then said “I said, any time he wants to do it.”
Trump calls talks “very positive”
Mr. Trump said he and Kim had a “pretty long chat.”
“It was a very positive day, a very positive event,” Mr. Trump said. “I think it’s really good for the world.”
Trump recounts the border crossing
Mr. Trump described the border crossing as Kim asking him if he would like walk over into North Korea and “I said, I would be so honored.”
“I said I would be honored to do that — I didn’t know what was he was going to say, but it was my honor,” Mr. Trump said.
Trump says U.S. agreed to restart nuclear talks
Mr. Trump and Kim concluded their meeting at the DMZ after about 45 minutes and agreed to restart nuclear talks within weeks. “We’re not looking for speed, we’re looking to get it right,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump called it a “legendary day” and noted that it was “quick notice, nobody saw it coming.”
“A lot has already come up,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump also called the Hanoi summit, which ended abruptly and without any agreement, a “great success” because it led to this meeting.
Moon said the U.S. and North Korea agreeing to speak “constitutes a great success.”
Trump: “Feels great” to be first president to step into North Korea
Speaking before the media, Mr. Trump said it “feels great” to be the first U.S. sitting president to step into North Korea. “It was an honor to do that,” Mr. Trump said.
“This is a special moment — and as President Moon said, this is a historic moment,” Mr. Trump said.
Kim praised Mr. Trump, calling it a “courageous and determined act.”
Trump invites Kim to the White House
Mr. Trump has invited Kim to the White House. Although Mr. Trump said the meeting could be just a handshake, the meeting appeared to be more substantial.
Moon also shook hands with Kim, which was a change from earlier when Moon said he would not be coming along for the meeting.
Trump crosses over into the DMZ
Mr. Trump made history by becoming the first sitting U.S. president to step onto North Korean soil when he crossed over the DMZ after sharing a symbolic handshake with Kim.
Trump on the way to Panmunjom
Mr. Trump is on the way to Panmunjom, the truce village located in the DMZ. He is poised to meet with Kim there.
Trump meets with troops
Mr. Trump and Moon visited with American and South Korean troops ahead of Mr. Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong Un. Mr. Trump said he would be meeting with Kim “in about four minutes.”
Moon complimented Mr. Trump for bringing the “great change” between relations.
“The security area is being transformed from symbol of hostility to symbol of peace,” Moon said. “You are part of change and the very person that has brought this change has been President Trump. He is the president in front of all you.”
Mr. Trump repeated that this visit had been set “a number of months ago,” but “yesterday, I had the idea, maybe I’ll call Chairman Kim and see if he wants to say hello.”
A service member gave Mr. Trump a windbreaker and a baseball hat. “.We hope it might find you some utility out on the golf course,” the soldier said.
Trump visits observation area
Mr. Trump visited an observation area at the DMZ, accompanied by Moon.
The visit gave him his first look into North Korea. This is his first visit to the DMZ, since weather prevented him from going the last time he was in South Korea.
Trump arrives at DMZ
Mr. Trump has arrived at the DMZ, where he is scheduled to visit an observation post and greet U.S. and South Korean troops.
Mr. Trump arrived by helicopter in Marine One.
Pompeo will go to the DMZ with Trump, official says
An administration official said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be joining Mr. Trump at the DMZ. Pompeo said Sunday that the U.S. is ready to resume talks with North Korea “at a moment’s notice.”
But as recently as Wednesday, North Korea blasted Pompeo for making “reckless remarks” in a recent State Department report.
Moon says third summit is possible after meeting
Moon said he will not be attending the meeting at the DMZ but he will be at the DMZ.
“As for inter-Korean dialogue, this will happen at a later time,” Moon said.
As for a third summit, Moon said it depends on how Sunday’s meeting turns out.
Mr. Trump chimed in to say Sunday’s meeting is “just a step — it might be an important step, but it might not.”
“Let’s see what happens today before we start thinking about” a third summit, Mr. Trump said.
Trump says “I’m in no rush” for deal
Mr. Trump repeated that he only decided on Saturday to extend the invitation to Kim.
“We’re going to be heading out to the DMZ, and something I planned long ago,” Mr. Trump said, “but had the idea yesterday to maybe say hello — just shake hands quickly and say ‘hello’ — because we haven’t seen each other since Vietnam.” He went on to say that he and Kim had a “great meeting” in Vietnam and that Vietnam may have been “more important” than the Singapore summit, though he did not explain why that would have been the case.
Mr. Trump said he isn’t in a rush to reach a deal. “If you’re in a rush, then you get yourself in trouble,” Mr. Trump said.
Moon: Kim will be coming to DMZ
Moon kicked off the press conference by saying Kim Jong Un will be joining them at the DMZ.
“I hope President Trump can be the president who achieved peace on the Korean peninsula,” Moon said.
Trump: “Both teams are working very hard” for meeting with Kim
After the bilateral meeting with Moon, Mr. Trump said “there is a possibility that we will be meeting Kim Jong Un.” Mr. Trump said he and Kim both want to meet, and “both teams are working very hard.”
South Korean president will join Trump at DMZ
South Korean President Moon Jae-in will join Mr. Trump at the DMZ. But Moon said the focus of the dialogue will be between Mr. Trump and Kim.
“I hope you can achieve great progress,” Moon said.
Trump: A “lot of good things are happening with North Korea”
Mr. Trump told reporters after a meeting with South Korean business leaders that a “lot of good things are happening with North Korea.”
Mr. Trump said he wanted to see the DMZ. On Saturday, he described the DMZ by referring to it as a real border.
As for meeting Kim, Mr. Trump said “we’re trying to work it out. “
“It’s going to be very short,” Mr. Trump said. “A handshake means a lot.”
Trump would be “very comfortable” crossing over the DMZ
At a press conference before Mr. Trump left Japan on Saturday, he said he would be “very comfortable” crossing the DMZ, one of the most heavily fortified borders in the world, into North Korea.
No sitting U.S. president has ever visited North Korea. In 2009, former President Clinton — already out of office — went to Pyongyang to negotiate to free two imprisoned American journalists. Former President Carter visited in 1994 and met with Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il Sung.
Mr. Clinton visited the DMZ in 1993, and former President George W. Bush visited in 2003 shortly before he declared the country part of the “axis of evil.”
Trump puts out “feeler” to Kim
Mr. Trump called his invitation via tweet to Kim Jong Un a “feeler.” Mr. Trump sent a tweet saying “if Chairman Kim of North Korea sees this, I would meet him at the Border/DMZ just to shake his hand and say Hello(?)!”
“He sent me a very beautiful birthday card and I just — what I did is — and I guess he got my return letter, because it’s in the newspaper, it’s him reading the return letter,” Mr. Trump said Saturday in Japan. “But I just put out — I just thought of it this morning. We’ll be at the area, we may go to the DMZ, or the border as they call it.”
Mr. Trump’s summit with Kim in Vietnam earlier this year collapsed without an agreementfor denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. South Korea’s government said earlier Friday that North Korea is ready for talks with the U.S.
