President Donald Trump pitched the idea of meeting Kim Jong-un inside the DMZ, just steps away the North Korean dictator’s home turf.
Trump made the case for a meeting in the neutral territory between the two heavily fortified countries after White House officials had named a pair of neutral countries as a possible meeting place.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with Kim there in the pair’s historic meeting, where the South Korean leader stepped across and into North Korean territory.
‘Numerous countries are being considered for the MEETING, but would Peace House/Freedom House, on the Border of North & South Korea, be a more Representative, Important and Lasting site than a third party country? Just asking!’ Trump tweeted on Monday.
President Donald Trump suggested holding a highly anticipated summit with Kim Jong-un inside the DMZ
Using the venue again could capitalize on the optics and sudden progress that occured during the meeting between the two Korean leaders there.
On Sunday, the Korean side said Kim had offered to Moon that North Korea would relinquish its nuclear weapons in exchange for a pledge by the U.S. not to attack it.
Mongolia and Singapore were the final choices for consideration, CBS reported days ago.
Trump had to scratch his own earlier plan to visit the DMZ during his trip to South Korea due to bad weather.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in raise their hands after signing a joint statement at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea, Friday, April 27, 2018.
Trump teased the selection at the White House. ‘I will be meeting with Kim Jong Un in the coming weeks, we look forward to that,’ he said at a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. ‘We’re down to two countries as to a site, and we’ll let you know what that site is.’
The New York Times reported that far-flung locations were a problem because of the ‘rickety condition’ of Kim’s aircraft.
THIS VENUE ALSO IS AVAILABLE: In this file photo released by the US Government on April 26, 2018, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (R) shakes hands with the former CIA Director, now US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo in Pyongyang over the 2018 Easter weekend
Holding the event in the DMZ would make it a quick trip for North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un