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President Trump meets Kim Jong Un

Posted at 7:50 PM, Jun 11, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-12 00:06:22-04

SINGAPORE (AP) -- The Latest on the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump in Singapore.
   9:20 a.m.

President Donald Trump is predicting that he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will have "a terrific relationship" as they meet face to face for the first time.

Trump said Tuesday after meeting Kim that he's feeling "really great." He says, "We're going to have a great discussion and a terrific relationship."

Kim says through an interpreter that it "was not easy to get here" and that there "were obstacles but we overcame them to be here."

The two men are expected to meet on their own for the better part of an hour, with only a pair of interpreters in the room.

That decision has raised concerns about the risk of holding such a monumental meeting with barely anyone to bear witness.
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   9:05 a.m.

President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are sharing a historic handshake as they meet for the first time.

The two clasped hands for a long while Tuesday as they posed for photos in front of a row of U.S. and North Korean flags. Trump then directed Kim to walk down a hallway, where they briefly spoke.

It's the first ever meeting between a sitting U.S. president and North Korean leader.

Trump and Kim arrived not long ago on Singapore's Sentosa Island, the site of their unprecedented summit. It's aimed at settling a standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal.

The two will huddle alone for roughly 45 minutes before being joined by aides for a larger meeting and working lunch.

Trump has said he'll know within minutes whether a deal can be made.
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   8:35 a.m.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived at Singapore's Sentosa Island, where he'll be meeting shortly face-to-face with President Donald Trump.

The two men are expected to share a handshake before they meet alone with a pair of interpreters for roughly 45 minutes while their entourages wait nearby.

After the intimate huddle, they're scheduled to hold a larger meeting and working lunch. Trump's chief of staff, national security adviser and secretary of state are among those expected to join.

The meeting is the first sit-down between a sitting U.S. president and North Korean leader and is meant to settle a standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear program.

Trump earlier defended his decision to meet with Kim, tweeting that North Korea has already released three detainees and that missile tests have halted.
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   8:20 a.m.

President Donald Trump has arrived on Singapore's Sentosa Island for his historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Trump's motorcade pulled into the grounds of the Capella Hotel at 8:13 a.m. Tuesday local time.

He is scheduled to meet Kim for the first time at 9 a.m.

Kim is also en route to Sentosa Island for the meeting to discuss the fate of his country's nuclear weapons arsenal.
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   8:15 a.m.

Kim Jong Un's entourage has left for the luxury Singapore island resort where the North Korean leader will meet with President Donald Trump.

Kim's black armored limousine with two large North Korean flags was surrounded Tuesday by police vehicles, their lights flashing, and other black cars.

There's excitement surrounding the summit but also skepticism that the North will relinquish a nuclear weapons program it spent decades building despite crushing sanctions.

Kim and Trump are scheduled to meet alone, with their interpreters, after greeting each other at the resort.
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   7:50 a.m.

North Korea's state media has reported on Kim Jong Un's late-night tour of Singapore with unusual speed.

Pyongyang's official Rodong Sinmun on Tuesday filled its front page with photos of his visits to Singapore's landmarks, including the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay and the Marina Bay Sands resort.

The North's Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim as saying that Singapore is "clean and beautiful and every building is stylish" and that he will learn "a lot from the good knowledge and experience of Singapore in various fields in the future."

It's rare that security-obsessed North Korea reports on Kim's activities within hours. When Kim visited China for meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping in March and May, state media didn't report on the trips until after he returned home.

Some experts say North Korea is trying to keep up with the speed of the Western media in Singapore.
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