By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Alexandra Taseva from Bulgaria
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June 12, 2018, was a historic day. Leaders from the U.S. and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) finally met for the first time since the end of the Korean War (1950-1953).

"The world will see a major change."

That message was made by U.S. President Donald Trump and the top leader of the DPRK, Kim Jong Un, after their historic meeting in Singapore on Tuesday, June 12.

Media from all around the world looked at this photo and noted the historic moment of the handshake between the two leaders. Negotiations were held in an atmosphere of mutual good wishes and a readiness to solve problems. U.S. President Donald Trump also promised to invite Kim Jong Un to the White House.

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un promised to work on a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. Also, Washington has pledged to provide security guarantees to Pyeongyang, reported news agencies from around the world. Trump also said that the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula could begin "very, very fast." U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompey and North Korean representatives will hold further negotiations as soon as possible.

"I feel really great. We are going to have a great discussion and I think tremendous success. It will be tremendously successful. It's my honor. We will have a terrific relationship. I have no doubt." said Donald Trump.

The joint statement, signed by the two leaders, has little detail as to how and by what deadline the goals will be achieved, reported Reuters. Experts recall that 10 years ago there were talks of denuclearization on the peninsula, but that goal was never achieved. Today, they think that the process will last for at least a decade. It will be expensive and will require the signing of non-aggression pacts between the two countries.

"The fact that both of them got to know each other and perhaps trust each other is good for future negotiations," said former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.



A lot of people in mainland China, the U.S. and Korea were optimistic about developments on the Korean Peninsula, hoping that the document the two leaders signed during their meeting in Singapore would be a denuclearization agreement.

A person in Beijing said that, if that’s true, it was good news for regional and global security. "I think denuclearization of the DPRK is the best thing for our neighbor, for mainland China, and for the world. It's what everyone wants. The danger of nuclear weapons is way too big," he said.

A person in the U.S. said that, with the positive vibes coming out of the summit, it looks like a peace deal could be around the corner. "I hope good things get better. We don't want to have nuclear weapons on our heads," expressed the U.S. resident.

Trump called the just-concluded one-on-one talks a "tremendous success" and Kim Jong Un also spoke highly of the summit. A lot Koreans think the summit to be a victory. "The summit between the DPRK and Korea was positive, so the DPRK–U.S. talks were also surely positive," said a resident in Seoul.

Here in Central Europe, during the hole day Bulgarian TV and radio stations and online media followed the historic summit. "Historic meeting!" "Trump met Kim!" "For the first time, acting U.S. president will meet a North Korean leader!" were the words you could hear from every TV and radio station.

Every media person who worked on the news presented it with a different unique style. Some made live connections from the U.S. with various international experts, others were working from their studios or newsrooms. "The EU announced the meeting in Singapore as proof that the path to peace is through diplomacy," shared a reporter on Nova TV.

A lot of radio stations talked for hours about not only the U.S.–DPRK summit, but also about the inter-Korean summit held in April. Bulgarian National Television (BNT) spent the most time on the subject, making short videos about leader Kim Jong Un and about the Korean War and how events ended up with the U.S.–DPRK summit.

Here in Bulgaria, the news about the Korean Peninsula wasn't the main focus, but still every channel followed the news with caution and hope for good results and for a peaceful life across East Asia.

wisdom117@korea.kr

* This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.