SINGAPORE, June 12 — Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un signed a document today asserting that the US president would provide unspecified “security guarantees” to Kim in exchange for the North Korean leader’s “unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.”
The two leaders signed copies of the document, in Korean and English, at a signing ceremony to conclude their summit in Singapore — the first ever meeting of the North Korean and US heads of state.
Trump and Kim noted the symbolism of the moment in their document, calling it an “epochal event of great significance in overcoming decades of tensions and hostilities” between the countries.
In four bullet points, they laid out goals of future rounds of negotiations without specifying what immediate steps either side would take. Trump said there would be “many meetings” between the two men.
They agreed to establish new relations between the countries and committed to “build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean peninsula,” where the US and South Korea are still technically at war with the North.
Kim reaffirmed that he would “work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula,” though there was no indication the two men had agreed on what that would mean.
And they also agreed to work together to recover “POW/MIA remains,” presumably American soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War.
The White House has not yet released the document, but the words were clearly visible in photographs taken when Trump displayed it to the gathered reporters.
The document made no mention of Japanese citizens that country has accused North Korea of abducting. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe travelled to Washington last week and urged Trump to raise that issue in his summit with Kim.
Kim departed the Capella hotel on the resort island of Sentosa shortly after signing the document, while Trump is expected to hold a news conference later in the day before returning to Washington.
Here is the full text of what the two men signed:
Joint Statement of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at the Singapore Summit
President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a first, historic summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018.
President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new US-DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Convinced that the establishment of new US-DPRK relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and of the world, and recognizing that mutual confidence building can promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un state the following:
1. The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new US-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.
2. The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.
3. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
4. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.
Having acknowledged that the US-DPRK summit—the first in history—was an epochal event of great significance in overcoming decades of tensions and hostilities between the two countries and for the opening up of a new future, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un commit to implement the stipulations in this joint statement fully and expeditiously. The United States and the DPRK commit to hold follow-up negotiations, led by the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and a relevant high-level DPRK official, at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes of the US-DPRK summit.
President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea have committed to cooperate for the development of new US-DPRK relations and for the promotion of peace, prosperity, and security of the Korean Peninsula and of the world.
(Signed)
DONALD J. TRUMPPresident of the United States of America
KIM JONG UNChairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
June 12, 2018 Sentosa Island Singapore
— Bloomberg
