President Trump says his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was honest, direct and productive.
At a news briefing in Singapore today, Trump expressed confidence that a joint declaration with Kim will lead to complete denuclearization. He called it very comprehensive. Trump said the past does not have to define the future and noted that longtime adversaries can become friends.
Meantime, the president noted that the U.S. will stop holding joint war games with South Korea and said he would like to bring American troops home eventually. There are more than 30-thousand U.S. troops in South Korea and the North has long been angry about the joint military operations, viewing them as preparation for an invasion. In a news briefing, Trump said the joint exercises are very expensive and "provocative."
Trump called Kim very smart and talented. He said the topic of human rights violations in North Korea came up during the talks but he did not elaborate. A reporter asked about Otto Warmblier and the president said his death helped spur talks that led to the summit, so he didn’t die in vain.
Also shared was that the bodies of U.S. soldiers who died in the North during the Korean War will be returned home, but it make take time. The president says the number is about six thousand.
Who was the winner here? Looking at it through rose colored glasses, you'd say the world if everything comes to fruition....the immediate winner is Kim Jong Un. Getting a one on one meeting with the Commander of the Free world recognizes him was a world leader and not just a dictator...and remember, North Korea has state run media so Kim can spin the coverage of the summit any way he wants in his country.