The United Nations Chief has expressed optimism at a proposed meeting between the United States President and the leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
After a briefing by South Korean officials at the White House on Thursday, President Donald Trump agreed to meet with Kim Jong-Un after the latter pledged to stop further nuclear tests in a move towards denuclearization.
The announcement of the meeting was initially made by Seoul’s National Security Advisor and later confirmed by the White House itself.
The White House confirmed that the summit would take place in May but that this did not mean the start of negotiations between the leaders of two countries technically still at war.
The first ever meeting between a sitting United States President and the leader of North Korea was welcomed by the UN Secretary General.
His spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says, “The SG is encouraged by the announcement of an agreement between the United States and the DPRK to hold a summit meeting by May. He commends the leadership and vision of all concerned and reiterates his supports for all efforts towards the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions.”
South Korean officials took Kim’s invitation for the summit to the White House after they met with the DPRK leader in Pyongyang earlier in the week.
South Korea’s Chung Eui-Yong says: “I expressed (South Korean) President Moon Jae-in’s personal gratitude for President Trump’s leadership. I told President Trump that in our meeting, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un said he is committed to denuclearization.”
Kim pledged that North Korea refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests. He understands that the routine joint military exercises between the Republic of Korea and the United States must continue. And he expressed his eagerness to meet President Trump as soon as possible.
Washington’s top diplomat Rex Tillerson, on a multi-nation visit to Africa, said the decision was taken by the President himself.
“In terms of the decision to engage between presidents Trump and Kim Jong Un – that’s a decision of the president himself. I spoke with him very early this morning about that decision and we had a good conversation.”
“This is something that he’s had on his mind for quite some time. So it was not a surprise in any way because I think this has long been something that he’s expressed openly before, about his willingness to meet with Kim Jong Un.”
The meeting comes amidst heightened tensions between the two leaders with Trump referring to Kim as “little rocket man” last year while threatening the country’s destruction over its nuclear ambitions. Kim returned fire by calling President Trump a “mentally deranged dotard”.
