Trump meets Kim at Korean Demilitarized Zone

June 30, 2019

US President Donald Trump has shaken hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Trump is the first sitting US president to visit the DMZ.

“I feel great. It is an honor to be here,” Trump told reporters after he briefly crossed into North Korea. “I was proud to step over the line,” he told Kim.

He also said he would invite Kim to the White House, as he hailed his “great friendship” with Kim.

Kim said that his “wonderful” relationship with Trump would enable North Korea and the US to get over obstructions to their stalled nuclear talks.

“I am convinced our relationship will enable us to overcome barriers standing in the way,” said Kim, adding that his close ties with the US leader made the DMZ meeting possible “just overnight.”

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un’s historic summit in pictures

First meeting

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump shake hands as they meet for the first time. Unlike in past meetings with some world leaders, Trump did not try to pull Kim’s hand towards him or hold on to the North Korean leader’s hand too long.

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un’s historic summit in pictures

From insults to ‘special bond’

Trump and Kim appeared at ease with one another during the summit. Just a few months prior, Trump and Kim engaged in a war of words, trading insults like “little rocket man” and “mentally deranged.” Following their meeting, Trump said he formed a “special bond” with Kim and that he’d like to invite him to the White House.

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un’s historic summit in pictures

Who’s leading whom?

Kim lays a hand on Trump’s back as they leave after signing a joint statement pledging peace negotiations and denuclearization. Some critics worried that the US agreed to give up too many things in negotiations with Kim. At a press conference, Trump said he wanted to stop US military exercises with South Korea and eventually withdraw US troops — something Pyongyang has been demanding for years.

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un’s historic summit in pictures

Four-point agreement

Trump displays the joint agreement he signed with Kim. In the four-point document, Kim agreed to the “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” In exchange, Trump agreed to provide “security guarantees” to Pyongyang. The two leaders also agreed to build a “robust peace regime” and to return the remains of prisoners of the 1950-1953 Korean War.

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un’s historic summit in pictures

All eyes on Trump and Kim

South Koreans watch the summit on a screen located at a train station in Seoul. Ahead of the event, critics expressed concern that the meeting between the two leaders would be purely symbolic and not bring concrete progress to easing tensions. Indeed, the agreement did not specify what exact measures would be taken.

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un’s historic summit in pictures

Honoring ‘the bromance’ in Singapore

A bartender in Singapore crafted a special drink for the summit, dubbed “The Bromance.” The meeting was held on Singapore’s Sentosa island, a resort area with luxury hotels and a theme park. The island’s security was massively increased ahead of the summit, while local businesses marked the occasion with special Trump-Kim branded water and drinks.

Author: Rebecca Staudenmaier (with dpa, AFP)

‘Handshake for peace’

Trump, who is on a visit to South Korea, earlier confirmed that he would meet Kim at the DMZ that separates the Korean Peninsula.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in had said earlier on Sunday that Kim and Trump “will have a handshake for peace standing at Panmunjom, the symbol of division,” referring to the “truce village” in the DMZ.

The DMZ has layers of barbed wire, mines and other security measures, as the two Koreas are still technically at war.

Read more: Donald Trump asks Kim Jong Un to meet him at the DMZ

Trump held talks with Kim in Vietnam in February. The Hanoi summit followed on from an unprecedented meeting between the leaders in Singapore last June. Then, Kim pledged to work toward the “complete denuclearization” of the Korean Peninsula, without providing a clear timetable or roadmap.

Washington and Pyongyang blame each other for the impasse, but Trump is hopeful for a breakthrough.

Experts have warned that North Korea may never agree to fully give up its nuclear ambitions, which they say Pyongyang views as vital for regime survival.

Read more: North Korea rebuilding rocket test site: report

A short meeting

Ahead of the meeting, the US president once again spoke about his good relationship with Kim, hailing a “certain chemistry” between them.

Although his previous two meetings with the North Korean leader didn’t yield any result, Trump said he was “in no rush” to defuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Read more: North Korea’s Kim Jong Un open to third Trump summit

ICBM threat and North Korea’s overall military strength

Major achievement

In early June 2017, North Korea test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time. Testing an ICBM marked a major military achievement for Pyongyang and a serious escalation of tensions with the United States and its allies in the region, particularly South Korea and Japan.

ICBM threat and North Korea’s overall military strength

Trouble with warheads

At the time, defense experts said the ICBM could reach as far as the US states of Alaska and Hawaii. However, it was unclear if North Korea can field an ICBM capable of carrying a nuclear warhead on its cone that could survive reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere. North Korean state media claimed the ICBM was capable of carrying a “large, heavy nuclear warhead” to any part of the United States.

ICBM threat and North Korea’s overall military strength

Pyongyang’s nuclear tests – six times and counting

The ICBM is believed to be a step forward in the North’s nuclear program. Despite pressure from the international community, Pyongyang has made no secret of its nuclear ambitions. Alongside its ritual ballistic missile tests, North Korea has conducted nuclear tests on at least six occasions, including one in September 2017.

ICBM threat and North Korea’s overall military strength

US running out of patience?

Responding to the first ICBM test with a show of force, the US and South Korean troops on conducted “deep strike” precision missile drills using Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and the Republic of Korea’s Hyunmoo Missile II. In April, the US sent its Carl Vinson aircraft carrier towards the Korean Peninsula, saying it was taking prudent measures against the North.

ICBM threat and North Korea’s overall military strength

Testing the boundaries

Ignoring international condemnation, Pyongyang test-launched another rocket on July 28, 2017, just weeks after its first ICBM test. In both of the tests, North Korea used Hwasong-14 missile, but the second one reached a higher altitude and traveled a larger distance than the first one, according to the state media.

ICBM threat and North Korea’s overall military strength

Whole of US within range?

Pyongyang conducted its third test November 29, using a newly developed Hwasong-15 missile. US, Japanese and South Korean officials said it rose to about 4,500 km (2,800 miles) and flew 960 kilometers (600 miles) over about 50 minutes before landing in Japan’s exclusive economic zone off the country’s coast.

ICBM threat and North Korea’s overall military strength

One of the world’s largest militaries

Apart from a developing missile and nuclear program, North Korea has a powerful army with 700,000 active troops and another 4.5 million in the reserves. It can call upon almost a quarter of its population to serve in the army at any given time. The North’s bloated army is believed to outnumber its southern neighbor’s by two-to-one.

ICBM threat and North Korea’s overall military strength

Vast capabilities

According to the 2017 Global Firepower Index, the North has, as part of a far-reaching arsenal, 458 fighter aircraft, 5,025 combat tanks, 76 submarines, and 5,200,000 total military personnel. The picture above from 2013 shows leader Kim Jong Un ordering strategic rocket forces to be on standby to strike US and South Korean targets at any time.

ICBM threat and North Korea’s overall military strength

Enemies all around

Alongside the United States, Pyongyang views its neighbors South Korea and Japan as its two other main enemies. North Korea has used US military exercises in the region as means of galvanizing its people, claiming that the exercises are dress rehearsals for an impending invasion.

ICBM threat and North Korea’s overall military strength

Huge, colorful demonstrations of military might

Every year, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and citizens roll through the streets of the capital Pyongyang to take part in the North’s military parades. Preparations for the rallies often begin months in advance, and the parades usually mark important anniversaries linked with the Communist Party or Kim Jong Un’s family.