South Korea’s president on July 2 called a recent U.S.-North Korean summit at the Korean border an end of mutual hostility between the countries, saying in a Cabinet meeting that the two leaders’ meeting meant the two countries have declared “an end of hostile relations” and the “start of an era of peace.”
President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held an impromptu summit at the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on Sunday, June 30. The two leaders reaffirmed their friendships and agreed to resume nuclear talks.
The event marks the third meeting between Trump and Kim in just over a year. Their second summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, broke down four months ago.
Trump’s brief stepping across the border into North Korea also made him the first sitting U.S. president to set foot on the North’s soil.
“The world is watching, and it’s very important for the world,” Trump said. “And it was an honor that you asked me to step over that line. And I was proud to step over the line.”
The moment President Trump meets Chairman Kim at the DMZ and becomes the first sitting President to enter North Korea: pic.twitter.com/VwqGAEmmxz
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 30, 2019
Kim said through an interpreter that he was “willing to put an end to the unfortunate past” and that if it wasn’t for the “excellent relations between the two of us,” this opportunity would not be possible.
Trump had expressed a similar sentiment, saying that his personal relationship with Kim remained strong. He described the meeting as “a historic moment.”
After a brief trip into North Korea, both leaders walked back into South Korea where Moon greeted Kim. All three leaders entered “Freedom House,” also known as “Peace House,” in the Joint Security Area in the village of Panmunjom straddling the border. There, Trump and Kim had a bilateral meeting that lasted more than 45 minutes.
Trump told reporters after the meeting that both sides “are going to have teams, they are going to meet over the next weeks. They are going to start a process and we will see what happens.”
He added that teams from the two nations will continue talks concerning North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. He said that he hopes a comprehensive deal can be reached, but added that he isn’t looking for a quick fix: “We’re not looking for speed. We’re looking to get it right.”
He also said sanctions against North Korea remain in place “but at some point during the negotiations things can happen.”
Trump wrote on Twitter that his meeting with Kim was “wonderful.”
“Leaving South Korea after a wonderful meeting with Chairman Kim Jong Un. Stood on the soil of North Korea, an important statement for all, and a great honor!” Trump wrote.
South Korean citizens said they were surprised to hear that President Trump had entered North Korea.
“Every historical event has a small beginning,” Lee Jae Bok, a local resident, said at a local rally in South Korea in support of the two leaders’ meeting. “So this is very meaningful.”
He said the majority of South Korean people know that the United States had helped to protect their freedom in the Korean War.
“Seventy to 80 percent of South Korean people have not forgotten our alliance with the United States,” said Oh Young-Hak, a pastor.
He said that South Korea is grateful to the United States, saying, “We can’t forget that 40,000 American soldiers died and 150,000 soldiers were buried.”
Emel Akan, Melanie Sun, Jeremy Sandberg and The Associated Press contributed to this report
