Donald Trump: June 12 meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un back on

David Jackson | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump: Summit with North Korea in Singapore back on President Donald Trump announced Friday that his historic summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is now back on for June 12 in Singapore. Trump made the announcement after an hour-long meeting with a top North Korean official. (June 1)

WASHINGTON — After a rare meeting with a high-ranking North Korean official, President Trump said Friday he has rescheduled a June 12 summit in Singapore with Kim Jong Un as part of a long-term effort to try and end the latter's nuclear weapons programs.

While hailing the promise of an unprecedented summit, Trump also sought to tamp down expectations by saying that "we're not going to go in and sign something" at the Singapore meeting. Instead, he said, "we're going to start a process" on an agreement to have Kim eliminate the nuclear weapons that have generated global tensions for years.

"I think it's a 'getting to know you' meeting-plus, and that could be a very positive thing," Trump told reporters at the White House.

Friday's announcement capped eight days of uncertainty that started May 24, when Trump said he was canceling the June 12 summit because of offensive comments made by the North Korean government.

In the last week, Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met in the Demilitarized Zone between the two countries, while North Korean envoys scrambled to the United States to meet with U.S. officials.

Trump spoke warmly about the North Koreans Friday after receiving a letter from Kim concerning the prospects of a historic summit between the nuclear-armed leaders.

Kim Yong Chol, a former North Korean spy chief who is now a top aide to Kim Jong Un, entered the White House in the early afternoon to hand-deliver the letter to Trump during the Oval Office meeting with the U.S. president and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Trump did not disclose the contents of Kim's message — "Oh, would you like to see what was in that letter," he told reporters — but said he and the envoy discussed issues ranging from economic sanctions to a possible peace treaty between North and South Korea.

The president later said he had not even opened Kim's letter, saying he didn't want to do so in front of his guests and joking that "I may be in for a big surprise, folks."

The White House said later that Trump did eventually read the letter.

North Korea wants the United States and allies to remove economic sanctions that are crippling its economy.

"I look forward to the day when I can take the sanctions off of North Korea," Trump said, but he did not commit to such a step. He said additional sanctions are ready, but he will not apply them unless "the talks break down."

Trump's meeting with Kim Yong Chol and other North Korean officials lasted around an hour and 20 minutes. The president shook hands and posed for pictures outside the White House with members of the North Korean delegation.

"We will see you on June 12," Trump said.

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The glad-handing marked a stark contrast to the past, coming less than a year after Trump attacked Kim Jong Un as "Little Rocket Man" and all but threatened to destroy his country. Meanwhile, North Korea continued to threaten the United States and it allies with nuclear weapons. For his part, Kim once referred to Trump as a "dotard."

Kim Yong Chol was the highest-ranking North Korean official to visit the White House in 18 years — and he needed a waiver to get into the country. The United States has sanctioned the former spy leader for his suspected role in the cyberattacks on American companies.

The last such meeting came in late 2000, when lame duck President Clinton hosted an envoy who brought a letter from then-North Korea leader Kim Jong Il, the current leader's father. That session did not lead to a meeting between Clinton and the elder Kim.

This time around, U.S. and North Korean leaders will meet face-to-face for the first time. In addition to Kim's nuclear weapons, the summit may include withdrawal of some sanctions as well relations overall between North and South Korea.

Ending the Korean War?

The Korean War between the split nations ended with an armistice in 1953. The two sides are again talking about a formal peace treaty, and Trump indicated that could be part of his meeting with Kim in Singapore.

"Can you believe that we're talking about the ending of the Korean War?" Trump said at one point.

Trump, who meets next week with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said Japan is also involved in the budding negotiations, and that "South Korea's very much involved."

Trump also said he may discuss human rights with Kim.

In his May 24 message to Kim, Trump noted "the tremendous anger and open hostility" of statements Kim made after the scheduling of the summit, including attacks on U.S. officials who called for verifiable denuclearization of North Korea.

Kim and aides have said they will never surrender their nuclear weapons programs, the key to any negotiations involving the United States and its allies.

Right after the cancellation, however, Trump began talking about rescheduling the summit, citing more civil statements from Kim and the North Korean government.

Along with the Demilitarized Zone meetings, the U.S. also dispatched an advance team to Singapore to make logistical preparations for a summit.

Kim, meanwhile, has held meetings of his own, and some of them signaled possible trouble in forthcoming talks with the United States.

The North Korean leader welcomed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Pyongyang this week. Russia supports lifting economic sanctions on North Korea.

Trump told reporters he "didn't like" Kim meeting with the Russians, but added that "it could be very positive, too."

China's role

Kim has also spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the up-and-down discussions about a Trump meeting. Trump suggested that Xi is the one who told Kim to take a harder line after the June 12 meeting was announced.

On Friday, Trump said he hopes China will "help out" in seeking a deal with Kim.

The North Korean leader is expected to press for a lifting of economic sanctions, and perhaps new forms of economic assistance, in exchange for an agreement on his nuclear weapons programs.

Lisa Collins, a fellow with the Korea Chair at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said there is skepticism in the foreign policy community that Kim will dismantle all of his weapons programs, and that makes for a challenging set of negotiations.

"It all comes down to what the North Korean leader wants, which is difficult to answer unless you have a series of meetings," Collins said.

She added that the North Koreans "won't be giving up anything for free."