Korea summit: Pyongyang welcomes ‘Kim’s coup’

North Korea has portrayed Tuesday’s summit as a historic victory for Pyongyang.

Commuters in Pyongyang yesterday read about the summit in the latest edition of the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper. Picture: AFP

North Korea has portrayed Tuesday’s summit between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump as a historic victory for Pyongyang, suggesting the US President had agreed to suspend military drills with South Korea and lift sanctions ahead of any North Korean moves to de­nuclearise the Korean peninsula.

A series of photographs on the front of the ruling Worker’s Party’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper yesterday highlighted just how momentous a propaganda coup the meeting was for Kim, depicting the 34-year-old dynastic leader achieving what neither his grandfather or father managed to pull off — a meeting on equal ground with a sitting US president.

While Mr Trump’s promise to suspend what he referred to as “provocative” and “tremendously expensive” war games with South Korea has sparked some confusion in Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo — which warned the military drills were “vital” for regional security — it has clearly delighted Pyongyang.

North Korea has long argued that halting the joint exercises must be a key step in the denuclearisation process, notwithstanding repeated US insistence that they are purely defensive and aimed at ensuring the readiness of US and South Korean forces should Pyongyang threaten the security of the peninsula.

The newspaper reported yesterday that Kim had emphasised the urgency of making a “bold ­decision on halting irritating and hostile military actions against each other”.

“Trump expressed his intention to halt the US-South Korea joint military exercises, which the DPRK side regards as provocation, over a period of goodwill dialogue between the DPRK and the US, offer security guarantees to the DPRK and lift sanctions against it along with advance in improving the mutual relationship through dialogue and negotiation,” the newspaper said, using the country’s full name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The US President told a news conference on Tuesday that he would like to lift sanctions against North Korea but this would not happen immediately.

“If the US side takes genuine measures for building trust in order to improve the DPRK-US relationship, the DPRK, too, can continue to take additional goodwill measures of next stage commensurate with them,” the paper added, suggesting the US would have to make the first concessions before Pyongyang would follow with “step-by-step” measures.

The Singapore meeting has been largely welcomed by regional leaders, including South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who declared it a “great victory”, notwithstanding the fact Mr Trump’s promise appeared to catch his government and the US military command in South Korea off guard.

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also congratulated both leaders on a “crucial first move in the long journey towards lasting peace and stability on a ­denuclearised Korean peninsula, which would benefit our region and the rest of the world”.

But Korea analysts warned yesterday that North Korea’s undertaking in Tuesday’s joint state­ment to work towards the “complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula” was simply ­repeating familiar phrasing used first in the 1992 Joint Declaration of South and North Korea, and many times since.

“Kim Jong-un wanted at least three things coming into the meeting with President Trump,” wrote Victor Cha and Sue Mi Terry of the Centre for Strategic and Security Studies.

“He wanted international legitimacy, a complete makeover of the image of himself and his country, and some significant concessions from the United States, such as sanctions relief and a reduction of the US military threat … while giving as little away as possible. Kim has wildly succeeded in meeting these goals,” they said.

Mr Trump appeared unfazed by the criticism that he had given away too much leverage for too little return yesterday, issuing a ­series of tweets revelling in the success of the summit.

“The world has taken a big step back from potential Nuclear catastrophe! No more rocket launches, nuclear testing or research! The hostages are back home with their families. Thank you to Chairman Kim, our day ­together was historic,” he wrote.

In another tweet he hailed the “great progress” made on the denuclearisation of North Korea and the agreement to bring home the ­remains of US soldiers.

“No missiles shot, no research happening, sites closing …”