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WORLD NEWS Monday 28 May 2018

Trump says US team in NKorea planning summit with Kim

By CATHERINE LUCEY stance toward the summit
MATTHEW LEE had been allayed.
HYUNG-JIN KIM “Our United States team
FOSTER KLUG has arrived in North Korea
Associated Press to make arrangements for
President Donald Trump the Summit between Kim
said Sunday a U.S. team Jong Un and myself,” he
was in North Korea to plan tweeted. “I truly believe
a summit with North Korean North Korea has brilliant po-
leader Kim Jon Un, raising tential and will be a great
expectations that the on- economic and financial
off-on meeting would in- Nation one day. Kim Jong
deed take place. Un agrees with me on this.
The State Department said It will happen!”
earlier that a team was in South Korea’s president,
Panmunjom, which strad- Moon Jae-in, gave details
dles the border inside the about his surprise meeting
demilitarized zone, or DMZ, Saturday with Kim in the
separating the North and Panmunjom truce village,
South Korea. One can cross saying Kim had committed
the border simply by step- to sitting down with Trump
ping across a painted line, and to a “complete denu-
but moving beyond several clearization of the Korean
footsteps into the North at Peninsula.”
Panmunjom would be rare U.S. Secretary of State Mike
for U.S. officials. Pompeo tapped veteran
Trump withdrew from a American diplomat Sung In this May 26, 2018 photo provided on May 27, 2018, by South Korea Presidential Blue House,
planned June 12 Singa- Kim to handle pre-summit North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right.
pore summit with Kim last negotiations. On a sepa- Associated Press
Thursday, but quickly an- rate but complementary Sunday to prepare in case Korea and was part of the ond summit in a month
nounced that it could get track was the CIA team the summit takes place. U.S. negotiating team that saw bear hugs and broad
back on track. His tweet Pompeo set up last year It was led by Joe Hagin, last held substantive denu- smiles. But their quickly ar-
Sunday afternoon, which when he headed the spy White House deputy chief clearization talks with North ranged meeting Saturday
offered praise for the long- agency. of staff for operations. Korea during the George appeared to highlight a
time U.S. adversary, was And on a third track was Kim, the U.S. ambassador to W. Bush administration in sense of urgency on both
the latest signal that his a White House logistical the Philippines, also served 2005. sides of the world’s most
concerns about the North’s group sent to Singapore on as ambassador to South The Korean leaders’ sec- heavily armed border.q