Hi Steemians! It is confirmed that Singapore will be hosting the meetup between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The summit is targeted to be held on 12th June, about a month from now. A quick video on this event is provided below:
This is the Tweet from Donald Trump on this meetup and the corresponding reply from Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong:
Donald Trump: 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!
Lee Hsien Loong: The meeting between US President @realDonaldTrump & N.Korea leader Kim Jong Un is a significant step on the path to peace. May it lead to a successful outcome. – LHL
The official press statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can be found here.
This is not the first time Singapore is selected as a neutral ground to host a summit between 2 leaders. In Nov 2015, Singapore also held the summit between Ma Ying-jeou, then president of the Republic of China (Taiwan; ROC), and Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and President of the People's Republic of China. Some experts are now trying to guess which location will be used to hold the summit, with the following 3 locations being the most likely:
- Shangri-la Hotel
- MBS
- Sentosa
Shangri-la Hotel seems to be the most likely as the summit between Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou was also held there. It is also the place where the annual IISS Shangri-la Dialogue is held.
The IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore is the most important regular gathering of defence professionals in the Asia-Pacific region, a vital annual fixture in the diaries of ministers and their civilian and military chiefs of staff. Since its launch in 2002 the Dialogue has built confidence and fostered practical security cooperation, by facilitating easy communication and fruitful contact among the region’s most important defence and security policymakers.
Personally, I am still quite skeptical on the sudden softening of attitude by Kim Jong Un. This is not the first time in history where the North Korean regime is considering denuclearization. In fact, they have agreed on several occasions in the past to denuclearize but failed to keep their promises.
Despite that, I do hope that the relationship between the two sides can be improved permanently with this meetup. What is your view on this event? And what do you think about Singapore being chosen to host this event?