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| Trump shakes hands with Kim Jong-un and steps into North Korea – live | Trump shakes hands with Kim Jong-un and steps into North Korea – live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Donald Trump has met with Kim Jong-un in the demilitarised zone and has become the first US president to step onto North Korean soil, after Kim invited Trump to step over the demarcation line into North Korean territory. | |
| The meeting was organised yesterday, both leaders confirmed, after Trump tweeted Kim Jong-un suggesting they meet and “say Hello(?)!” while Trump was in the region for the G20 summit in Osaka. | |
| Trump travelled to the DMZ with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in, the three were expected to have a tri-lateral meeting at Peace House, but Trump and Kim appeared at a press conference without Moon, raising questions about how involved the South Korean leader would be in any discussions. | |
| Trump said the meeting was “very historic” and criticised those who said that nothing had been come about from his two summits with Kim, which occurred last June and earlier this year. | |
| Trump said he would be willing to invite Kim to the White House “right now” | |
| Devastating analysis from Victor Cha, a professor at Georgetown University, who calls this “reality TV” and “faked diplomacy” that gives US, South Korea and North Korea “trivial domestic kudos while legitimizing the [human rights] abusing/nuke regime”. | |
| @realDonaldTrump crossed into North Korea this morning EST. It’s only “historic” if it leads to denuke negotiations, a verifiable agreement and a peace treaty. Otherwise it’s just some nice pics and pageantry. | |
| #breaking A source on the scene with Trump and Kim tells @Acosta the new WH press Secretary Stephanie Grisham got into “an all out brawl” with North Korean officials hustling WH press pool members into the room with Trump and Kim for their meeting, and was bruised up. Tough job. | |
| There was a lot of jostling in the press pack as they attempted to cover the meeting. A female voice could be heard repeatedly saying “Please stop it, don’t do that.” Though it is unclear who that was, as she wasn’t in shot, and if that event is connected to the alleged Grisham event reported by Jim Acosta from CNN. | |
| As well as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Fox News’s Tucker Carlson was present in the White House pool. | |
| In the room: N. Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho (left) and Tucker Carlson. pic.twitter.com/KrmTOEBiZf | |
| Donald Trump: "When I put out the social media notification, if he didn't show up, the press was going to make me look very bad, so you made us both look good and I appreciate it." pic.twitter.com/AV3dtspSw3 | |
| A reminder of that social media invitation from Trump : | |
| After some very important meetings, including my meeting with President Xi of China, I will be leaving Japan for South Korea (with President Moon). While there, if Chairman Kim of North Korea sees this, I would meet him at the Border/DMZ just to shake his hand and say Hello(?)! | |
| We have this pool report from a reporter on the ground with the president. | |
| At 3:44pm, POTUS walked out of Freedom House, together with President Moon, towards the military demarcation line between South and North Korea, located between the two famous blue huts. | |
| The North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, wearing his traditional Mao suit, was walking down the stairs towards him on the Northern side of the line. | |
| At 3:45pm, the two leaders shook hands over the concrete slab that forms the military demarcation line between South and North Korea. | |
| “Good to see you again”, said Kim in English, adding that he would have “never expected” to see POTUS “at this place”. | |
| At 3:46pm, POTUS crossed the line, becoming the first sitting US president to step into North Korea. | |
| He then walked a few meters into the North together with Kim. | |
| “Good progress, good progress”, he said as the two leaders crossed back to the South. | |
| The two leaders are now holding a bilateral meeting in The Freedom House on the South Korean side. | |
| There is some discussion about the fact that this is supposed to be a tri-lateral meeting between Donald Trump, Kim Jong-un and South Korean leader Moon Jae-in. All three leaders went into the building together, but only Kim and Trump fronted the cameras for that press conference. It is unclear whether Moon will join them for the rest of the meeting. | |
| Trump is speaking now. He comments on the fact that we are hearing from Kim directly. | Trump is speaking now. He comments on the fact that we are hearing from Kim directly. |
| “You hear that voice, no one hears this voice, he doesn’t do press conferences.” | “You hear that voice, no one hears this voice, he doesn’t do press conferences.” |
| Trump says he wants to thank Kim for responding to his Twitter invitation to meet. | Trump says he wants to thank Kim for responding to his Twitter invitation to meet. |
| “If he didn’t show up the press was going to make me look very bad,” says Trump. | “If he didn’t show up the press was going to make me look very bad,” says Trump. |
| “If you look back two-and-a-half years, before I was president, it was a very very bad situation, a very dangerous situation for North Korea, South Korea, for the world. The relationship we have developed has been so much for so many people,” says Trump. | “If you look back two-and-a-half years, before I was president, it was a very very bad situation, a very dangerous situation for North Korea, South Korea, for the world. The relationship we have developed has been so much for so many people,” says Trump. |
| “Thank you for asking me to step over that line, I didn’t know if you were going to ask me to do that, I thought you might, but I was ready to do that if you asked.” | “Thank you for asking me to step over that line, I didn’t know if you were going to ask me to do that, I thought you might, but I was ready to do that if you asked.” |
| Trump calls the meeting “very historic”. | Trump calls the meeting “very historic”. |
| “The great relationship between President Trump and I, I don’t think if we didn’t have such a great relationship we could have organised this meeting in just a day. I would like to use this strong relationship to create more good news that nobody expects,” says Kim. | “The great relationship between President Trump and I, I don’t think if we didn’t have such a great relationship we could have organised this meeting in just a day. I would like to use this strong relationship to create more good news that nobody expects,” says Kim. |
| Kim confirms he heard from Trump yesterday afternoon and wanted to meet him again. | Kim confirms he heard from Trump yesterday afternoon and wanted to meet him again. |
| “I believe that meeting here, which is a symbol of division and a hostile past, I think meeting here, two countries that have a hostile past, we are showcasing to the world that we have a new present and we have a positive meeting going forward,” says Kim. | “I believe that meeting here, which is a symbol of division and a hostile past, I think meeting here, two countries that have a hostile past, we are showcasing to the world that we have a new present and we have a positive meeting going forward,” says Kim. |
| Trump and Kim are inside now, seated in front of a row of flags. Kim is speaking, will have the translation soon. | Trump and Kim are inside now, seated in front of a row of flags. Kim is speaking, will have the translation soon. |
| Standing with Trump on the southern side of the DMZ, Kim said. “President Trump just crossed became first US president to visit our country. This is an expression of his willingness to eliminate the aggression of the past and open a new future.”Trump responded: “This is my honour. I didn’t expect it. Stepping across that line was a great honour – a lot of progress has been made and this is a great friendship. It was short notice so I want to thank you,” he said, gesturing to Kim. “We’re going to go and talk for a while. A lot of positive things are happening … we met and we liked each other from day one. and that’s very important.” | Standing with Trump on the southern side of the DMZ, Kim said. “President Trump just crossed became first US president to visit our country. This is an expression of his willingness to eliminate the aggression of the past and open a new future.”Trump responded: “This is my honour. I didn’t expect it. Stepping across that line was a great honour – a lot of progress has been made and this is a great friendship. It was short notice so I want to thank you,” he said, gesturing to Kim. “We’re going to go and talk for a while. A lot of positive things are happening … we met and we liked each other from day one. and that’s very important.” |
| And the press conference has actually wrapped up this time and Trump and Kim are heading inside a building for discussions. | And the press conference has actually wrapped up this time and Trump and Kim are heading inside a building for discussions. |
| Trump is still talking. | Trump is still talking. |
| “When I became president of the US, there was great great conflict, now there is less conflict,” he says. “It’s my great honour and the Chairman’s honour.” | “When I became president of the US, there was great great conflict, now there is less conflict,” he says. “It’s my great honour and the Chairman’s honour.” |
| ‘Stepping across that line is a great honour,’ says Trump | ‘Stepping across that line is a great honour,’ says Trump |
| Trump is speaking now, standing alongside Chairman Kim. | Trump is speaking now, standing alongside Chairman Kim. |
| “I just want to say this is my honour,” he says. | “I just want to say this is my honour,” he says. |
| “Stepping across that line is a great honour, great progress has been made, great friendships have been made and this has been, in particular, a great friendship.” | “Stepping across that line is a great honour, great progress has been made, great friendships have been made and this has been, in particular, a great friendship.” |
| Trump has thanked Kim for being available to meet at such short notice, saying he called him up yesterday. | Trump has thanked Kim for being available to meet at such short notice, saying he called him up yesterday. |
| “We met and we liked each other from day one, and that is very important.” | “We met and we liked each other from day one, and that is very important.” |
| The press conference has finished up, Trump says he and Kim are going inside to talk for a little while. A reporter asks whether Kim will come to the US any time soon. | The press conference has finished up, Trump says he and Kim are going inside to talk for a little while. A reporter asks whether Kim will come to the US any time soon. |
| “I would invite him right now,” Trump says. | “I would invite him right now,” Trump says. |