Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump both backed Saturday a possible third summit between the two nations. Kim said he would wait until the end of the year “for the US to make a courageous decision” on another meeting, state media reported, after his most recent summit with Trump in Vietnam broke down and both sides left without agreement.
Trump backed the suggestion, pointing to the pair’s “excellent relationship”. “I agree with Kim Jong Un of North Korea that our personal relationship remains very good, perhaps the term excellent would be even more accurate, and that a third Summit would be good in that we fully understand where we each stand,” he said. Washington has blamed the February deadlock on the North’s demands for sanctions relief in return for limited nuclear disarmament, but Pyongyang said it had wanted only some of the measures eased. And Trump has hinted that the punitive measures could eventually come to an end.
“North Korea has tremendous potential for extraordinary growth, economic success and riches under the leadership of Chairman Kim,” the American president said in a tweet. “I look forward to the day, which could be soon, when Nuclear Weapons and Sanctions can be removed, and then watching North Korea become one of the most successful nations of the World!” In a speech to Pyongyang’s rubber-stamp parliament Friday, Kim said the Hanoi meeting had made him question whether Washington is “genuinely interested” in improving its relations with Pyongyang.
“We are willing to give another try if the US offers to have a third summit with the right attitude and mutually acceptable terms,” he said, according to a report by North Korean state media outlet KCNA. Kim added that his personal relationship with Trump remained strong, adding they could “write letters to each other” whenever they wanted. “We will wait with patience until the end of the year for the US to make a courageous decision,” Kim said.
