South Korean reporter detained in Singapore South Korea's public broadcaster KBS said Friday that one of its reporters has been detained in Singapore ahead of the landmark summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump.KBS did not provide details on the circumstances under which the reporter was detained as it could not have access to him due to an ongoing probe by Singaporean police."We will respect the results of the police investigation and take necessary steps as soon as results are available," KBS said in an emailed statement.The French news agency AFP said police detained two men who work for KBS on Thursday for alleged illegal entry into the residence of the North Korean ambassador in Singapore.The issue was seriously discussed during a tea meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his officials earlier in the day, presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told reporters.Kim asked South Korean journalists to exercise caution in covering the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump set for June 12 in Singapore. (Yonhap)Jun 8, 2018
Kim Jong-un expected to arrive in Singapore on Sunday North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is expected to arrive in Singapore Sunday to meet U.S. President Donald Trump. APNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un is expected to fly into Singapore's Changi airport on Sunday ahead of a high-stakes summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, a source involved in the planning of the trip said on Friday.Pictures of U.S. military aircraft at nearby Paya Lebar air base, including a white-topped helicopter commonly used for transporting high-ranking U.S. officials, were published in a newspaper on Friday. Talks between the leaders on June 12 are expected to centre on ending the North's nuclear weapons and missiles programmes in return for diplomatic and economic incentives.Changi airport directed Reuters' query to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. The Aviation Authority did not immediately have comment.Neither delegation has made its travel plans public.Media said Trump was likely to arrive at the Paya Lebar air base, where previous U.S. presidents landed on visits to Singapore.Since becoming the North's leader in 2011, Kim has only taken one known oveJun 8, 2018
Trump urged to meet Kim halfway for success The view of Resorts World Sentosa island in Singapore is pictured on June 6, 2018. A highly anticipated meeting between US president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will take place at a resort island off Southern Singapore. AFPBy Kim Jae-kyoungSINGAPORE ― U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un must meet each other halfway to produce tangible outcomes at the June 12 summit, according to an international security expert, Wednesday.“Unless both leaders understand each other's red lines and come ready to compromise, this summit might turn out to be a wasted opportunity,” Liang Tuang Nah, a research fellow of the Military Studies Program at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, said in an interview.The institute is a constituent unit of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.He stressed before any discussion begins, both Trump and Kim need to understand what either are prepared to initially give up and where they insist on holding firm.“On Trump's end, hJun 8, 2018
Singaporeans split over bearing costs for Trump-Kim summit In this June 7, 2018, photo, a man walks past an advertisement board of cartoon caricatures of U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un which are supposed to be the inspiration behind a local dish, the "Trump-Kim Chi Nasi Lemak" at a mall, in Singapore. APBy Kim Jae-kyoungSINGAPORE ― Most Singaporeans are excited about their country playing host to the historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.But not all are happy about the city-state bearing the cost of the summit slated to be held at the Capella Hotel on Singapore's resort island of Sentosa, June 12.Proponents believe that this is a great chance for Singapore to upgrade its international image, so the government and people are taking a strategic approach.In other words, paying the direct costs for North Korea, such as lodging, transport and dining, can be a monetary loss in the short-term, but successful hosting the summit will bring greater value for the country.“This kind of opportunity does not come often. I think we can afford to bear the cost and it wiJun 8, 2018
Trump says hamburgers, Kim says he's on a diet From Wikemedia CommonsBy Oh Young-jin How will Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un get along during their June 12 summit?The two leaders have supersized egos ― Trump as rich man with the presidency of the world's only superpower, while Kim is king of a communist dynasty. Their clash of egos could spark the moment when they meet at Capella Hotel, Singapore. Or will it? After all, the whole aura surrounding the summit appears on the borderlines of being comic starting with the concept of the most asymmetric summit between the world's most powerful and a pariah state, but Kim and Trump are being treated as equals. Here is my imaginary account of what could happen to the two in Singapore ― perhaps camaraderie. Arms wrestlingTrump grabs the chubby hand extended by Kim as a handshake and squeezes it as hard as he did with French President Emmanuel Macron. The North Korean, half the American's age, feels pain but manages to quell a moan. He then uses his free hand for his typical double handshake and breaks free from Trump's grip. While this ice-breaking, split-second testosterone contest is Jun 8, 2018
South Korean officials visit Gaeseong to prepare for liaison office Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung speaks to reporters, Friday, before visiting North Korea to check facilities at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in preparation for opening a liaison office there. / Joint press corps'Office unrelated to resuming Gaeseong Industrial Complex'By Choi Ha-youngA team of South Korean officials visited Gaeseong Industrial Complex (GIC), an inter-Korean joint industrial zone in North Korea, Friday, to inspect the area before opening a joint liaison office there.The two Koreas agreed on the plan to establish a liaison office in Gaeseong during a high-level meeting, June 1, as stipulated in the Panmunjeom Declaration signed by President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, April 27.It was the first visit to the complex by South Korean officials since February 2016, when the South shut down the GIC to protest the North's nuclear test. “The envisioned opening of the liaison office is the first Panmunjeom Declaration measure to be fulfilled,” Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung, who led the team, told reporters before headinJun 8, 2018
Japan willing to talk to North Korea, normalize ties President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shake hands during a news conference in the Rose Garden at the White House, Thursday (local time). APJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday he is willing to talk directly with North Korea in a bid to resolve the festering issue of abductions of Japanese citizens and foster better ties with Pyongyang."I wish to directly face North Korea and talk with them so that the abduction problem can be resolved quickly," Abe said at a joint press conference with President Donald Trump.The U.S. leader promised to raise the highly sensitive issue of the Japanesenationals kidnapped by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s with Kim Jong-un at next week's high-stakes summit in Singapore.Abe added there was no change in Japan's policy to pursue "real peace in Northeast Asia" and that if North Korea "is willing to take steps" in the right direction, it will have a "bright future." (AFP)Jun 8, 2018
Pompeo to visit South Korea after Trump-Kim summit From left, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, U.S. national security adviser John Bolton and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, depart a news conference with President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the Rose Garden at the White House Thursday (local time). APU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday he will travel to South Korea after next week's summit between the U.S. and North Korean leaders to discuss the results of the historic meeting.The top U.S. diplomat will make a two-day trip to Seoul on Wednesday after accompanying U.S. President Donald Trump to his June 12 nuclear summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore.In Seoul, he is expected to meet with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono."The Secretary's trip demonstrates the Administration's focus on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and commitment to our alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific Region," the State Department said in a press release. "He will meet with senior Korean and Japanese officJun 8, 2018
Trump says he could invite Kim to US if summit goes well U.S. President Donald Trump smiles during his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Thursday (local time). AP U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he could invite North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the United States if their meeting next week goes well.The highly anticipated summit in Singapore is five days away as the two sides try to reach a deal on dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program in exchange for security guarantees.Trump said he is prepared to walk if the negotiations don't go well, but he also dangled the possibility of a follow-up meeting in Washington."Certainly if it goes well. And I think it would be well-received. I think he would look at it very favorably. So I think that could happen," he said during a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the White House. "Maybe we'll start with the White House."A visit to the U.S. would serve as a powerful symbol of normalizing ties between the former Korean War foes.Trump said it's possible they will use next week'Jun 8, 2018
Pompeo, Kim Yong-chol; two key men behind summit Senior North Korean official Kim Yong-chol and U.S. Secretary of State shake hands after meeting in New York last week to discuss the Pyongyang-Washington summit. YonhapBy Kim Bo-eunU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and senior North Korean official Kim Yong-chol have played major roles in enabling the North Korea-U.S. summit arranged for June 12 in Singapore. Meanwhile, National Security Chief John Bolton appears to have been sidelined due to his earlier remarks about the Libya denuclearization model, which led to a hostile response from Pyongyang and endangered prospects of the summit taking place.Meetings between Pompeo and Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the Central Committee of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, are seen to have laid the groundwork for the summit.Pompeo, as the former director of the CIA, is known to have led U.S. efforts with a team including Andrew Kim of the agency's Korea Mission Center.Kim Yong-chol, meanwhile, has played a key role this year as the North Korean leader's right-hand man in terms of both inter-Korean affairs and diplomacy. He has attended Jun 7, 2018
