Trump and Kim sign 'historic' document after summit

Donald Trump says a "special bond" has been formed with Kim Jong-un after they signed a "historic" document following their meeting in Singapore.

Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump

Donald Trump has hailed the summit with Kim Jong-un as a success. (AAP) Source: AAP

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have signed a "historic" document after their meeting.

"It's pretty comprehensive," Trump said.

Via a translator, Kim said "today we had a historic meeting ... We leave the past behind".

Earlier, Trump hailed his summit with Kim Jong-un in Singapore as a "fantastic" sit-down.

"We had a really fantastic meeting," Trump said as he strolled out of the Capella Hotel side-by-side with the North Korean leader after their working lunch on Tuesday.

"A lot of progress. Really, very positive, I think better than anybody could have expected, top of the line, really good," Trump added, before showing Kim the interior of "The Beast", his armour-plated limousine.

Historic handshake

Trump and Kim shared warm words and a historic handshake on Tuesday as they held an unprecedented summit to confront a decades-old nuclear stand-off and enmity stretching back to the Cold War.

The two men clasped hands beneath the white-washed walls of an upscale hotel in neutral Singapore, before sitting down for a half-day of meetings with major ramifications for the region and the world.

It is the first-ever meeting between sitting leaders of the two nuclear-armed foes and was unthinkable just months ago when fears of war mounted amid missile tests and verbal insults.

The pair shook hands for several seconds, Trump reaching out to touch the North Korean leader on his right shoulder.

As they sat down for their tete-a-tete, the US leader - who had said he would know "within the first minute" if a deal would be possible - predicted a "terrific relationship" with Kim.

For his part, the North's leader made a reference to the two countries' history of war and acrimony but noted the fact of their meeting showed they could overcome the past.

Sitting across from Trump at a small side table, Kim told the US president through a translator: "It was not easy to get here."

"The past worked as fetters on our limbs and the old prejudices and practices worked as obstacles on our way forward," he went on, his listener looking him in the eye and nodding. "But we overcame all of them and we are here today."

 





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3 min read

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By SBS-AFP

Presented by Justin Sungil Park

Source: AFP, SBS



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