By Sohn JiAe

The first-ever historic summit between a sitting U.S. president and the North Korean leader will take place in Singapore on June 12.

U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his Twitter feed on May 10 that, “The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and myself will take place in Singapore on June 12th. We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!”



The Washington Post said that, “Singapore made sense because it maintains diplomatic relations with North Korea, which has an embassy and ambassador in the country.”

The article quoted officials as saying that, “President Trump seemed enamored with the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea, but the White House aides, cautious about moving too quickly given the complicated, hard-knuckle negotiations to be had over denuclearization, eyed a third-party country. Questions over Kim’s willingness to travel long distances also played a role in the planning.”

Cheong Wa Dae welcomed the announcement. Spokesperson Kim Eui-kyeom said in a message to the press on May 11 that, “The Korean government welcomes the Washington-Pyeongyang summit being held in Singapore on June 12. We hope that the summit will successfully bring denuclearization and a permanent peace to the Korean Peninsula.”

jiae5853@korea.kr