After meeting with Kim, Trump says US and North Korea to hold nuclear talks

US president invites North Korean leader to visit him in Washington, but tells media that ‘speed is not the object’ in reaching a denuclearization agreement

US President Donald Trump (right) meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea, June 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
US President Donald Trump (right) meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea, June 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

US President Donald Trump said Sunday the US and North Korea have designated teams to resume stalled nuclear talks between the nations within weeks.

Earlier Trump became the first sitting US president to enter North Korea when he stepped across the border at the demilitarized zone for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Trump shared the news as he briefed reporters after spending about 50 minutes behind closed doors with Kim.

Trump said he hopes the sides can reach a comprehensive deal, but added that “speed is not the object.”

He said “We’re not looking for speed. We’re looking to get it right.”

Trump also told reporters, after bidding Kim farewell, that during their talks he raised the idea of a Kim visit to Washington.

He said he told Kim that “at the right time, you’re going to come over” and that that could be “any time he wants to do it.”

Trump added that he “would certainly extend the invite” and that, “at some point” it will happen.

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, right, and US President Donald Trump cross south of the Military Demarcation Line that divides North and South Korea, after Trump briefly stepped over to the northern side, in the Joint Security Area (JSA) of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized zone (DMZ) on June 30, 2019. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP)

Following their longer-than-expected meeting, Trump announced that he and Kim had agreed to resume stalled talks on denuclearization in the coming weeks.

The president addressed members of the US military at an American air base in Osan, just south of Seoul, South Korea, before ending his Asia trip and returning to Washington.

Trump said he and Kim “had a very productive meeting” there and noted he tried to sell Kim on the prosperity he believes awaits North Korea if it gives up its nuclear program.

Trump said that sanctions remain on North Korea but he appeared to be leaving open the possibility of scaling them back as part of upcoming renewed negotiations, saying that: “at some point during the negotiation, things can happen.”

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