Kim, Trump to have a marathon meeting next Thursday

Kim, Trump to have a marathon meeting next Thursday. June. 06, 2018 07:42. by Jeong-Hun Park sunshade@donga.com.
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are reportedly scheduled to hold a “marathon meeting” from the early morning of June 12 in Singapore to discuss denuclearization and security assurances.

“I can also tell you the schedule, tentatively, for that first meeting will be on June 12th at 9 a.m. Singapore time,” said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders at a regular briefing Monday (local time). In East Coast time, it will be June 11, 9 a.m., the prime time for broadcasters when their main news programs are broadcast.

“The advance team in Singapore is finalizing logistical preparations. In the DMZ, discussions have been very positive, and significant progress has been made,” added Sanders, indicating that the two sides have made progress in ironing out differences on the agenda and schedule of the upcoming summit at the working-level talks underway in Singapore and Panmunjom.

What is noteworthy is her use of the word “first meeting,” as it implies that the two leaders are likely to hold several more sit-downs in the future. President Trump told reporters last Thursday, “I want it to be meaningful. It doesn’t mean it gets all done at one meeting,” adding that there may even need to be a second or third summit. He made similar comments on the following day after meeting with Kim Yong Chol, vice-chairman of North Korea’s Central Committee of Workers’ Party, “We’re not going to go in and sign something on June 12th. We’re going to start a process,” apparently factoring in the complex procedures of negotiations.