Trump, Kim meet at DMZ, agree to resume nuclear talks

SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas and agreed to resume working-level talks on denuclearization. Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to set foot in the communist state when he briefly crossed the inter-Korean border together with Kim. Their countries fought each other in the 1950-53 Korean War. "We've agreed to have teams set up," Trump said after a meeting of nearly one hour at the truce village of Panmunjom in the DMZ. He said, "What is going to happen is over the next two or three weeks, the teams are gonna start working to see whether or not they can do something." Stephen Biegun, the special representative for North Korea, will lead the U.S. team, he said, adding that Pyongyang is expected to replace some of its negotiators at working-level consultations. They will "start a process and we'll see what happens" Trump said with South Korean President Moon Jae-in standing next to him. Trump also said Kim can visit the White House anytime he wants to do so. "I think we want to take this down to the next step, let's see what happens," he said. At the start of their third face-to-face contact, Kim and Trump shook hands with grins and chatted on the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). They then briefly crossed the line into the North together before returning to the South. Trump said he was "proud to step over that line." He said flamboyantly, "It's a great honor. ... It's a great day for the world." Kim hailed it as an "expression of his willingness to eliminate all the unfortunate past and open a new future." It was their first meeting since their Hanoi summit in late February fell part due to differences over the definition of substantive denuclearization in return for sanctions relief. After they crossed back into the South, they were joined by South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The three leaders walked into the Freedom House, a building on the southern side. The Panmunjom meeting between Kim and Trump demonstrated that their personal ties remain good, as the U.S. president has often touted. Kim spoke about the short notice of the meeting. He said he was "surprised" by Trump's Twitter invitation Saturday to the DMZ. But he said he accepted the offer for a "handshake of peace" to show that the two sides can shift to a better relationship after their longstanding animosity. Trump said that the unimaginable had happened. Before heading to the DMZ, he talked about a "very quick" meeting for a handshake and greeting. But his DMZ talks with Kim lasted far longer than expected. He and Moon then saw Kim off at the Joint Security Area. Moon stressed that the Korea peace process has overcome a "big bump" on the path toward denuclearization and permanent peace with the DMZ event. The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae rated the three-way gathering highly, saying that it has opened a new chapter of history. On the Trump-Kim meeting, which lasted more than 50 minutes, a Cheong Wa Dae official told reporters that it can be characterized as either a "de-facto third summit" or North Korea-U.S. talks and that it is up to each news outlet how to describe it. Later, Trump addressed U.S. service members at an American air base in Osan, just south of Seoul, before leaving South Korea in the evening. lcd@yna.co.kr (END)