N.Korea state media says Trump agreed to lift sanctions against North
SEOUL, June 13 (Reuters) – North Korean state media said on Wednesday U.S. President Donald Trump had agreed to lift sanctions against the North in addition to providing security guarantees in the summit with the North’s leader, Kim Jong Un, the previous day.
Trump was cited by North Korea’s official KCNA news agency as saying he made the promise after pledging to end joint military exercises with South Korea.
There was no immediate comment about sanctions from the U.S. side. (Reporting by Christine Kim Editing by Paul Tait)
EARLIER: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said it was “urgent” for North Korea and the United States to halt “irritating and hostile military actions against each other” during talks on Tuesday with U.S. President Donald Trump, North Korea’s state media said on Wednesday.
North Korea and the United States should commit to avoid antagonizing each other and take legal, institutional steps to guarantee it, Kim said according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The report added Trump said he “understood” and promised to halt joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises while talks with the North were continuing.
Kim and Trump invited each other to their respective countries and both leaders “gladly accepted,” KCNA reported.
Trump’s pledge to end joint exercises with South Korea without explicit concessions from North Korea to lower the military threat posed by Pyongyang took South Korean and U.S. military officials by surprise.
“Kim Jong Un and Trump had the shared recognition to the effect that it is important to abide by the principle of step-by-step and simultaneous action in achieving peace, stability and denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula,” KCNA said.
There was little else mention of denuclearisation of North Korea in the statement, which mainly focused on stopping hostilities between North Korea and the United States.
Kim Jong Un said that if the U.S. side took “genuine measures for building trust,” North Korea would continue to take “additional good-will measures of next stage commensurate with them.”
The report noted that Kim and Trump walked together after lunch, “deepening friendly feelings” and held a “meaningful photo session” to commemorate the signing of the agreement. (Reporting by Christine Kim; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
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