President Donald Trump made history on Sunday as the first sitting US President to physically step foot into North Korea.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un accepted Trump’s invitation to revive discussions on the nation’s nuclear program. Negotiations stopped after the US walked away, rather than giving in to insupportable North Korean demands.
South Korea’s President Moon also appeared at Sunday’s meeting, despite being told by North Korea last week that would no longer be required as an intermediary between the two, CBS News reports.
The two leaders smiled and shook hands at the heavily guarded Demilitarised Zone before Trump entered North Korean territory by crossing the demarcation line.
“I never expected to meet you at this place,” Kim told Trump, according to CBS News.
“I believe this is an expression of his willingness to eliminate all the unfortunate past and open a new future.
“No one has expected this moment.”
The photos of the two leaders standing side-by-side marks a return to face-to-face contact since their last physical meeting during a Vietnam summit in February.
“It was a great honour to step over the line, a lot of progress has been made,” Trump told reporters as he and Kim concluded their meeting outside South Korea’s Freedom House.
The President has reportedly said he will invite the North Korean leader to visit the White House.
Downplayed by the media, since Trump’s historic meetings with Kim Jong-Un, North Korea has dramatically cut back missile testing and has returned the remains of dozens of US service members lost in the Korean War.
–Metro Voice and wire services
