Donald Trump’s long-awaited meeting with Kim Jong-un will take place in Singapore on June 12, the president has said.
Mr Trump confirmed the first details of the summit through a tweet on Thursday. "The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and myself will take place in Singapore on June 12th. We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!" he said.
The summit represents the first between a US president and a North Korean leader, a remarkable turnaround in the pair’s relationship from the start of the year.
Once dubbed an "Asian Switzerland”, Singapore represents neutral ground for the two leaders.
Singapore, almost 3,000 miles south of Pyongyang, maintains diplomatic relations with North Korea which has an embassy and ambassador in the country.
It also has ties with the US, and is a regular port of call for American warships.
It also avoids any embarrassment for Kim, as North Korea’s ageing jets limits the distance he can travel without stopping to refuel.
Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement: "We hope this meeting will advance prospects for peace in the Korean Peninsula.”
It is not the first time Singapore has been chosen for high-profile diplomatic talks – in 2015 China and Taiwan held their first talks in more than six decades on the island city-state.
The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and myself will take place in Singapore on June 12th. We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2018
Mr Trump had expressed an interest in holding the meeting in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the heavily fortified border separating the Koreas.
He tweeted last week: "Numerous countries are being considered for the MEETING, but would Peace House/Freedom House, on the Border of North & South Korea, be a more Representative, Important and Lasting site than a third party country? Just asking!"
Numerous countries are being considered for the MEETING, but would Peace House/Freedom House, on the Border of North & South Korea, be a more Representative, Important and Lasting site than a third party country? Just asking!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 30, 2018
However, it is thought his advisers ruled out the site for security reasons.
The meeting marks a huge turning point in relations between the two leaders, during which North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme will be the main focus of conversation.
Last year Mr Trump took to calling Kim “little rocket man” and warned of “fire and fury” if the rogue state continued testing missiles.
But on Thursday the President thanked the “excellent” North Korean leader for allowing the return of three US detainees.
KCNA/REUTERS
June 12 will be the first anniversary of the announcement of the release of Otto Warmbier.
Mr Warmbier, 22, was detained in North Korea for 15 months after being arrested while on a college group tour. He was returned to the US in a coma and died a week later.
Kim has indicated he is prepared to denuclearise in return for sanctions being lifted.
However the Trump administration has stressed that its “maximum pressure” policy will not change until Kim has shown he is wrapping up his nuclear programme.
New satellite footage has raised hopes that Kim is making good his pledge to close down a nuclear test site built under Mount Mantap in the Punggye-ri area.
Analysts suggested the pictures showed a reduction in the number of buildings around the site, though there were concerns the changes could be staged ahead of his meeting with Mr Trump.
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