June 12 (UPI) — South Korean President Moon Jae-in told reporters in Seoul he had not slept the previous night, ahead of the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea‘s Kim Jong Un.
Moon, who played a key role in mending relations between Washington and Pyongyang after Trump abruptly canceled the June 12 summit on May 24, said he hopes the summit will open a “new era.”
A meeting Moon was to hold with members of his Cabinet, including Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, was postponed for about 12 minutes because of the live broadcasts.
Moon watched the first encounter between Kim and Trump from the presidential Blue House and said the South Korean people are engrossed with the events in Singapore.
“I hope it will be a successful meeting that gives us a new era of denuclearization and peace, [a new era] for relations among South Korea, North Korea and the United States,” Moon said Tuesday morning local time, according to Yonhap.
In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not make public statements but his aides have expressed a willingness to cooperate with the outcome.
“Today’s talks are an opportunity to address the nuclear and missile issues, and above all, the important issue of abduction,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said of Japanese citizens being kidnapped to North Korea. “We strongly look forward to a historic meeting that will promote peace and stability in Northeast Asia.”
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said the focus on the summit is on “bringing out a clear commitment on CVID,” or the complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantlement of North Korea’s nuclear weapons.
Kono also said while Tokyo has raised the abduction issue with Trump, the problem is ultimately to be addressed between Japan and North Korea, South Korean newspaper Kyunghyang Shinmun reported.
