Ryan Pickrell on May 7, 2018
South Korean media, citing unnamed diplomatic sources, is buzzing with rumors that President Donald Trump will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore.
The unprecedented summit is expected to be held in the city-state around the third week of June, according to the Chosun Ilbo, Yonhap News Agency, andThe Korea Times. Trump announced on May 4 that the U.S. and North Korea “now have a date and we have a location” for the meeting, the first such summit between a sitting American president and a North Korean leader.
Singapore has hosted talks between U.S. and North Korean officials in the past, and it has even served as a third-party host for major summits, such as talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou in 2015.
A shift to Singapore would be a noticeable change in the momentum, which appeared to be pushing the two sides for a meeting at the DMZ. In the wake of the landmark inter-Korean summit on April 27, the president tweeted the following:
Numerous countries are being considered for the MEETING, but would Peace House/Freedom House, on the Border of North & South Korea, be a more Representative, Important and Lasting site than a third party country? Just asking!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 30, 2018
“There’s something I like about it, because you’re there, if things work out, there’s a great celebration to be had on the site, not in a third party country,” Trump explained to reporters on April 30.
South Korea responded positively, with a senior official in Seoul telling reporters, “We think Panmunjom is quite meaningful as a place to erode the divide and establish a new milestone for peace. Wouldn’t Panmunjom be the most symbolic place?”
The White House has yet to formally announce the date and location of the Trump-Kim summit, but it has revealed the president will meet with South Korean president on May 22.
Send tips to ryan@
Maybe they should meet in Tehran, Iran?
Trump doesn’t believe in following contracts, why not be obvious about it?
Meet Fat Boy at a McDonald’s and feed his fat face which will put him him in a better mood for a better chance of making accomplishments.
Watch John Kerry try to FIX it. The more Democrats FIX a thing; the worse it gets. John Kerry was at the Paris Peace talks until we lost the Vietnam War. Why not send FONDA TOO?