Is it a new world?

US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un concluded an extraordinary summit on Tuesday with lofty promises by the American president to take care of a “very dangerous problem” and Kim forecasting “major change for the world”.They signed a document that Trump described as “pretty comprehensive”, but he declined to describe it, saying the details would be revealed later. The document signing followed a series of meetings at a luxury Singapore resort.The joint declaration signed by President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says the US has committed to providing “security guarantees” to the North.The document signed at the end of the pair's historic summit in Singapore on Tuesday also says Kim “reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula”.It's unclear exactly what Trump has promised Kim in terms of security. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declined to say earlier whether guarantees might include withdrawing US troops from the Korean Peninsula.A copy of the text snapped by a photographer at the signing summit says Trump and Kim also discussed how to build “a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula” in their talks.The White House has yet to release the document's text, but it was photographed by the news media during a signing ceremony.Meeting with staged ceremony on a Singapore island, Trump and Kim came together for a summit that seemed just unthinkable months ago, clasping hands in front of a row of alternating US and North Korean flags, holding a one-on-one meeting, additional talks with advisors and a working lunch.Throughout the summit that could chart the course for historic peace or raise the spectre of a growing nuclear threat, both leaders expressed optimism. Kim called the sit-down a “good prelude for peace” and Trump pledged that “working together, we will get it taken care of”.In advance of their private session, Trump predicted “tremendous success” while Kim said through an interpreter that “we have come here after overcoming” obstacles.Aware that the eyes of the world were on a moment many people never expected to see, Kim said many of those watching would think it was a scene from a “science fiction movie”.In the run-up to the meeting, Trump had predicted the two men might strike a nuclear deal or forge a formal end to the Korean War in the course of a single meeting or over several days.But in the hours before the summit, the White House unexpectedly announced Trump would depart Singapore earlier than expected - Tuesday evening - raising questions about whether his aspirations for an ambitious outcome had been scaled back.Giving voice to the anticipation felt around the world, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Tuesday he “hardly slept” before the summit. Moon and other officials watched the live broadcast of the summit before a South Korean Cabinet meeting in his presidential officeThe meeting was the first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.After meeting privately and with aides, Trump and Kim moved into the luncheon at a long flower-bedecked table.As they entered, Trump injected some levity to the day's extraordinary events, saying: “Getting a good picture everybody? So we look nice and handsome and thin? Perfect.”NAMPA/AP

Is it a new world?

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-18

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Is it a new world?

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-18

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