North Korea's Official News Agency Ahead of Trump-Kim Meeting: Times Have Changed

American and North Korean officials are preparing for a historic meeting on Tuesday between the leaders of the two countries. North Korea's official news agency states that the negotiations will address disarmament, peace, and other issues based on the 'needs of a changing time.' Donald Trump, the President of the United States, and Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, both arrived in Singapore on Sunday; Mr. Trump landed at 'Paya Lebar' airbase aboard the U.S. presidential aircraft, while Mr. Kim arrived at 'Changi' International Airport on a Chinese plane. The Foreign Minister of Singapore, who is practically responsible for organizing the negotiations in his country, welcomed the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea. Officials from both countries are currently preparing for talks scheduled to take place at 9 AM Singapore time (5:30 AM Tehran time) on Tuesday. On Monday, June 11, a day before the Trump-Kim meeting, North Korea's official news agency reported that 'a wide range of topics will be discussed: establishing new relations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the United States, creating a sustainable mechanism for maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula, achieving nuclear disarmament on the Korean Peninsula, and other important issues for both sides; discussions on these matters will be based on the needs of a changing time.' The North Korean news agency also noted that the Trump-Kim meeting 'takes place while the world is focused on it and has high expectations.' Donald Trump stated the previous day that the upcoming meeting is 'a chance that won't be repeated.' The U.S. President told reporters before heading to Singapore, 'I think I will know within the first minute whether something positive will happen or not, and if I think nothing will happen, I won't waste my time and I don't want to waste his (Kim Jong-un's) time either.' Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, also arrived in Singapore wearing a 'Mao suit,' which remains a formal attire among North Korean leaders, and thanked the Singaporean government for its cooperation and preparation for the June 12 meeting. The United States is currently seeking the complete and irreversible disarmament of North Korea primarily, and then the lifting of sanctions, while it is reported that Pyongyang expects to receive some sanction relief during the disarmament process. In addition to the nuclear disarmament issue, which has attracted more attention, neighboring countries of North Korea also have expectations from the upcoming negotiations. Seoul is seeking guarantees and cooperation from the United States to achieve a peace treaty between the two Koreas. Since the Korean War from 1950-53, both countries have been in a state of ceasefire, and the border between them is one of the most militarized areas in the world. For Tokyo, issues such as North Korea's ballistic missiles and Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean spies are of great importance. Meanwhile, activists, many North Korean defectors, and civil society activists are also calling for human rights issues to be addressed.