WASHINGTON — The White House today released an outline of President Trump’s planned meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in Singapore, including one session where no advisors will be present.
Trump and Kim plan to meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesday; with the 12-hour time difference, that means meetings will start at 9 p.m. today EST.
“Following the initial greeting, President Trump and Chairman Kim will participate in a one-on-one meeting, with translators only, an expanded bilateral meeting, and a working lunch,” the White House said.
Sitting in on the expanded bilateral meeting will be Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, and National Security Advisor John Bolton.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, and National Security Council Senior Director for Asia Matt Pottinger will join the working lunch.
The summit is taking place at the luxurious 30-acre resort Capella Singapore on Sentosa Island. Kim is staying at the St. Regis Singapore, while Trump is staying about a half-mile away at the Shangri-La Hotel.
Trump is expected to speak to the media before leaving Singapore at 8 p.m. local time, or 8 a.m. EST on Tuesday.
Trump met today with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, in which he thanked the leader for his “generosity and partnership” in hosting the Kim meeting.
“The two leaders discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation on diplomatic, defense, and economic issues to promote stability, security, and prosperity in the region,” the White House said in a readout of the meeting. “President Trump also congratulated Prime Minister Lee on Singapore’s chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).”
Kim separately had a “friendly talk” with Lee, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
A number of senior officials in the communist regime accompanied Kim to Singapore, including Kim Yong-chol, North Korea’s former spy chief who recently visited Washington to hand Trump an oversized letter from the dictator.
“Wide-ranging and profound views on the issue of establishing new DPRK-U.S. relations, the issue of building a permanent and durable peace-keeping mechanism on the Korean Peninsula, the issue of realizing the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and other issues of mutual concern, as required by the changed era, will be exchanged at the DPRK-U.S. summit talks to be held for the first time in history under the great attention and expectation of the whole world,” said KCNA, the North’s propaganda organ.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member