KIM JONG UN, top leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), agreed yesterday with U.S. President Donald Trump to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees.

Kim and Trump signed a joint statement after their meeting — the first between a sitting U.S. president and a DPRK leader — at the Capella Hotel on Singapore’s Sentosa island.

In the statement, Trump committed to providing security guarantees to the DPRK, while Kim reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The two leaders conducted a “comprehensive, in-depth and sincere exchange of opinions” on issues related to the establishment of a new DPRK-U.S. relationship and building a lasting and robust peace regime on the peninsula, the joint statement said.

It said the two leaders are convinced that the establishment of new DPRK-U.S. relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and the world.

The two leaders also agreed to recover the remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action during the 1950-53 Korean War, including an immediate repatriation of those already identified.

Kim and Trump acknowledged that the summit was of great significance in helping the two countries overcome decades of tension and hostilities and open up a new future in their relations.

They pledged to implement their agreement fully and expeditiously, concurring to hold follow-on negotiations to be led by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a high-level DPRK official at the earliest possible date.

At a press conference after the summit, Trump said the United States will stop conducting war games with South Korea.

Trump said he ultimately wants to bring the U.S. soldiers stationed in South Korea home, though currently he has no plan to scale back the U.S. military presence there.

About 28,500 U.S. troops are currently stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Trump expressed optimism that the denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula would “start soon” and hopes that China could participate in the signing process of a peace treaty. “China is very helpful,” Trump said.

The U.S. side will meet next week to “go over the details.”

He said at present, sanctions against the DPRK remain, but he looks forward to ending the sanctions if relations progress.

Kim and Trump started their first summit with a historic handshake that lasted for several seconds in front of a row of the national flags of the two countries.

“This is just a new beginning,” Trump said while shaking hands with Kim.

Kim, dressed in a dark suit, and Trump, sporting a red tie, talked in a corner of the hotel corridor for a few minutes before they walked along the passage into the meeting room and sat down in front of journalists.

“The way coming here was not easy,” Kim said. “We had the past that grabbed our ankles and old prejudices and practices that covered our eyes and ears.”

Trump said it was “an honor” to meet with Kim face to face and that he would have “a terrific relationship” with the DPRK leader.

They met one on one for about 40 minutes, with only translators at their sides, before having an expanded meeting attended also by their key security and diplomatic aides.(Xinhua)

(Special report on P5)