Trump: I Will Meet Kim After the Midterm Elections

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has stated that his second meeting with Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, will take place after the U.S. midterm elections in November. The midterm elections are scheduled for November 6, and Trump, during a campaign trip for Republican candidates, mentioned that the meeting with Kim 'must be postponed until after the elections, as I cannot leave the U.S. at this time.' The first meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un occurred on June 12 of this year in Singapore. Following this meeting, Trump discussed the cessation of North Korea's missile and nuclear tests, as well as the suspension of joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea. On Tuesday (October 9), Trump informed reporters that he is preparing plans for a second meeting with the North Korean leader, stating that both sides have made 'incredible' progress in their negotiations. The U.S. President remarked on the achievements of his historic meeting with Kim, saying that since their meeting, 'there have been no missile launches, no nuclear tests. Incredible progress, even beyond incredible, has been made.' He expressed his 'agreement' to meet again with Kim Jong Un, adding, 'We have a very good relationship with Kim; I am interested in him, and he is interested in me. Our relationship is very good.' According to him, Kim and Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, had 'good talks' over the past weekend, and three to four locations have been considered for their second meeting. Pompeo briefly told reporters that there is still 'a long way to go and much work to be done' in the discussions between the two sides, but currently, they are on a 'path' with the 'ultimate goal' being the denuclearization of North Korea. He also assessed that reaching an agreement on the details of North Korea's denuclearization is 'very close.' Meanwhile, Ri Yong-ho, the North Korean Foreign Minister, criticized the ongoing U.S. sanctions against Pyongyang and the 'deepening distrust,' stating that in such an atmosphere, his country would not be willing to unilaterally give up its weapons. The Washington Post also reported, citing the Associated Press, that the South Korean Foreign Minister has indicated the possibility of his country suspending some sanctions against its northern neighbor to help advance diplomacy between the two sides. Kang Kyung-ha stated that the aim of this decision is to accelerate diplomacy in improving bilateral relations and neutralizing the nuclear crisis. He mentioned that Seoul is considering lifting sanctions against Pyongyang that were imposed after the country attacked a South Korean warship, resulting in the death of 45 sailors. After this incident, South Korea ended all joint border economic activities with North Korea. If these sanctions are lifted, this action by South Korea could be the most significant recent decision by the country to improve relations with its northern neighbor. The Korean Peninsula was divided into North and South after World War II, and since the end of the Korean War, the two countries have effectively remained on either side of a protected buffer zone without recognizing each other. Kim Jong-il passed away in 2011, and his son, the current leader of the North, took power. Last year, tensions on the Korean Peninsula escalated to the point where leaders in Washington and Pyongyang threatened each other with 'fire and fury,' 'destruction,' or 'preventive nuclear war.'