World averts potential ‘nuclear catastrophe’

Says ‘Pyongyang-bound’ Trump

Donald Trump accepted an invitation from Kim Jong Un to visit North Korea during their historic summit, Pyongyang state media reported yesterday, as the US president said the world had jumped back from the brink of "nuclear catastrophe", reports AFP from Seoul.

Critics have said the unprecedented encounter in Singapore was more style than substance, producing a document that was short on details about the key issue of Pyongyang's atomic weapons.

But in a characteristically bullish tweet, Trump said the first-ever meeting between sitting leaders of the two Cold War foes meant "the World has taken a big step back from potential Nuclear catastrophe!"

"No more rocket launches, nuclear testing or research! The hostages are back home with their families. Thank you to Chairman Kim, our day together was historic!"

In the joint statement following Tuesday's talks, Kim agreed to the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula" -- a stock phrase favoured by Pyongyang that stopped short of long-standing US demands for North Korea to give up its atomic arsenal in a "verifiable" and "irreversible" way.

The official KCNA news agency ran a glowing dispatch, describing the summit as an "epoch-making meeting" that would help foster "a radical switchover in the most hostile (North Korea)-US relations".

The report said the two men "gladly accepted" mutual invitations to visit each other's countries.

KCNA also asserted Trump had "expressed his intention" to lift sanctions against the North -- something the US president had told a blockbuster press conference would happen "when we are sure that the nukes are no longer a factor"."The sanctions right now remain," he added. With the headline: "Meeting of the century opens new history in DPRK-US relations", the North's ruling Workers Party official daily Rodong Sinmun splashed no fewer than 33 pictures across four of its usual six pages.

One of the pictures showed a smiling Kim shaking hands with Trump's hawkish National Security Advisor John Bolton, who has previously advocated military action against the North, which in turn has referred to him as "human scum."

In Pyongyang, commuters crowded round the spread of images, for most of them the first they had seen of the summit.

Pyongyang has reason to feel confident after the meeting, where the leader of the world's most powerful democracy shook hands with the third generation of a dynastic dictatorship, standing as equals in front of their nations' flags.

The spectacle was a major coup for an isolated and heavily sanctioned regime that has long craved international legitimacy.

"Kim Jong Un got what he wanted at the Singapore Summit: the international prestige and respect of a one-on-one meeting with the American president, the legitimacy of North Korean flags hanging next to American flags in the background," said Paul Haenle, director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center.

In his post-summit press conference, Trump made the surprise announcement that the US would halt joint military exercises with its security ally Seoul -- something long sought by Pyongyang, which claims the drills are a rehearsal for invasion.

The US stations around 30,000 troops in security ally South Korea to protect it from its neighbour, which invaded in 1950 in an attempt to reunify the peninsula by force.

Both Seoul and US military commanders in the South indicated they had no idea the announcement was coming, and in an editorial Wednesday the Korea Herald said it was "worrisome".

Meanwhile, the US hopes to see "major disarmament" by North Korea by the end of 2020, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said.

His comments come a day after an unprecedented meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore.

Speaking in South Korea, where he discussed the outcome of the summit, Secretary Pompeo said there was still "a great deal of work to do" with North Korea.

But he added: "Major disarmament... We're hopeful that we can achieve that in the two and half years."

He said he was confident Pyongyang understood the need for verification that it was dismantling its nuclear programme.

World averts potential nuclear catastrophe

Says Pyongyang-bound Trump

Donald Trump accepted an invitation from Kim Jong Un to visit North Korea during their historic summit, Pyongyang state media reported yesterday, as the US president said the world had jumped back from the brink of nuclear catastrophe, reports AFP from Seoul. Critics have said the unprecedented encounter in Singapore was more style than substance, producing a document that was short on details about the key issue of Pyongyangs atomic weapons. But in a characteristically bullish tweet, Trump said the first-ever meeting between sitting leaders of the two Cold War foes meant the World has taken a big step back from potential Nuclear catastrophe! No more rocket launches, nuclear testing or research! The hostages are back home with their families. Thank you to Chairman Kim, our day together was historic! In the joint statement following Tuesdays talks, Kim agreed to the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula -- a stock phrase favoured by Pyongyang that stopped short of long-standing US demands for North Korea to give up its atomic arsenal in a verifiable and irreversible way. The official KCNA news agency ran a glowing dispatch, describing the summit as an epoch-making meeting that would help foster a radical switchover in the most hostile (North Korea)-US relations. The report said the two men gladly accepted mutual invitations to visit each others countries. KCNA also asserted Trump had expressed his intention to lift sanctions against the North -- something the US president had told a blockbuster press conference would happen when we are sure that the nukes are no longer a factor.The sanctions right now remain, he added. With the headline: Meeting of the century opens new history in DPRK-US relations, the Norths ruling Workers Party official daily Rodong Sinmun splashed no fewer than 33 pictures across four of its usual six pages. One of the pictures showed a smiling Kim shaking hands with Trumps hawkish National Security Advisor John Bolton, who has previously advocated military action against the North, which in turn has referred to him as human scum. In Pyongyang, commuters crowded round the spread of images, for most of them the first they had seen of the summit. Pyongyang has reason to feel confident after the meeting, where the leader of the worlds most powerful democracy shook hands with the third generation of a dynastic dictatorship, standing as equals in front of their nations flags. The spectacle was a major coup for an isolated and heavily sanctioned regime that has long craved international legitimacy. Kim Jong Un got what he wanted at the Singapore Summit: the international prestige and respect of a one-on-one meeting with the American president, the legitimacy of North Korean flags hanging next to American flags in the background, said Paul Haenle, director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center. In his post-summit press conference, Trump made the surprise announcement that the US would halt joint military exercises with its security ally Seoul -- something long sought by Pyongyang, which claims the drills are a rehearsal for invasion. The US stations around 30,000 troops in security ally South Korea to protect it from its neighbour, which invaded in 1950 in an attempt to reunify the peninsula by force. Both Seoul and US military commanders in the South indicated they had no idea the announcement was coming, and in an editorial Wednesday the Korea Herald said it was worrisome. Meanwhile, the US hopes to see major disarmament by North Korea by the end of 2020, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said. His comments come a day after an unprecedented meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore. Speaking in South Korea, where he discussed the outcome of the summit, Secretary Pompeo said there was still a great deal of work to do with North Korea. But he added: Major disarmament... Were hopeful that we can achieve that in the two and half years. He said he was confident Pyongyang understood the need for verification that it was dismantling its nuclear programme.