Trump, Kim Jong Un summit in Singapore expected to tackle denuclearization, economy
Trump says details for North Korea summit are set
Details on the upcoming historic summit involving North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Trump are coming into focus; Greg Palkot reports from London.
President Trump has set a date for his upcoming meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
"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!" Trump tweeted on May 10.
It will be the first-ever meeting between a U.S. president and a North Korean leader.
“It’s important because of the potential opening it has; there is potential diplomatic progress,” former Vice Adm. Robert B. Murrett, a professor of practice, public administration and international affairs at Syracuse University, told Fox News.
Murrett, who also serves as deputy director of the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism at the college, specializes in national security, international relations, military and defense strategy.
“This is something we haven’t been able to do for many years,” he added.
Fox News asked Murrett to explain what the summit could mean for this nation's future, and he answered three questions about the meeting that Americans should know.
Why is this meeting so significant?
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (L) are about to shake hands on their first ever meeting at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas.
(Reuters)
Aside from the potential diplomatic benefits between the U.S. and North Korea, the summit could benefit other countries.
“It not just about the United States,” he said, explaining that the meeting could also be a win for “our partners in the east, such as South Korea and Japan, but also areas in the South Pacific region such as Australia.”
He added, “These talks have the ability to reduce security tensions in East Asia and present an opportunity for the U.S. to reinforce the strong links with South Korea, Japan and even China."
What topics should we expect Kim and Trump to discuss?
Denuclearization will be at the forefront, Murrett said.
North Korea’s “nuclear weapons and ability to deliver them at long distances should be central,” said Murrett, who added that recent talks between North and South Korea “would suggest that it would remain a core issue.”
But Murrett also expects discussion of the Hermit Kingdom's role in the global economy.
Despite various sanctions placed on the country, North Korea’s economy grew by 3.9 percent in 2016. But Murrett said diplomatic talks represent the “prospect of North Korea rejoining the family of the Asians” if only from an economic standpoint, potentially opening the door for the country to trade with more than just China.
“It would be in the interest of the people of North Korea,” Murrett added.
Does Trump deserve credit for the summit?
Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping met this week in China.
(Xinhua via AP)
In short: Yes. In part.
While Trump does deserve credit for agreeing to meet with Kim, his decision to do so was likely sparked by “the window of opportunity that has existed because of ongoing pressure” on North Korea to better its relations with surrounding countries and beyond, Murrett said.
South Korea President Moon Moon Jae-in deserves a “fair amount of credit,” he said, citing the recent summit between the two Koreas and the display of unity at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang as one of “several steps toward unification in some fashion or another.”
“Trump is one of many important players,” said Murrett, noting that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe are also key players.
Abe met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last month, where the two “affirmed their strong determination to strengthen our shared resolve on North Korea, and increase the capability of the U.S.-Japan Alliance to confront all emerging threats to peace, stability, and an international order based on the rule of law,” the White House said at the time.
And President Xi and Kim secretly met in May in China, Chinese state television announced after the North Korean leader had already left the country.
"[The leaders] had an all-round and in-depth exchange of views on China-[North Korea] relations and major issues of common concern," the Chinese news agency reported, while Kim was quoted saying that he hopes to “build a mutual trust with the U.S. through dialogue.”
Fox News' Katherine Lam and The Associated Press contributed to this report.