In a vaguely worded agreement signed at their unprecedented summit Tuesday in Singapore, U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inked what Trump said was a “comprehensive document” declaring that Kim’s regime would “work towards the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” while committing to a “lasting and stable peace.”
In exchange, Trump committed to provide “security guarantees” to Kim — including a halt to joint military exercises — as the two nations agreed to establish new relations “in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.”
Keeping a vow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the U.S. president also said he had discussed with Kim the issue of abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s.
“I brought it up absolutely,” Trump said, noting the importance of the issue to Abe. “We didn’t put it down in the document, but it will be worked on.”
Abe lauded Trump for his “leadership” in making the summit happen and hailed it as meaningful in that it resulted in a written confirmation of Kim’s intention to denuclearize.
“I believe that would be the first step toward comprehensively resolving issues surrounding North Korea,” Abe told reporters Tuesday evening.
In particular, Abe said he “thinks highly” of Trump’s mention of the abduction issue in the talks and was “grateful” that the U.S. president brought it up in what appeared to be a very “clear” manner.
“For the first time ever, a U.S. president referred to and brought up the need to solve this issue in his conversation with chairman Kim Jong Un,” Abe said.
At a post-summit news conference, Trump touted the agreement as a historic deal, but part of a longer-term process to resolve the nuclear standoff with the North.
“We’re prepared to start a new history and ready to write a new chapter between our two nations,” Trump said.
