NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

Trump casts doubt on summit with North Korea

By David Nakamura
Washington Post·
22 May, 2018 07:00 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

South Korean President Moon Jae In, right, with his wife Kim Jung Sook, visited the White House today. Photo / AP

South Korean President Moon Jae In, right, with his wife Kim Jung Sook, visited the White House today. Photo / AP

US President Donald Trump expressed confidence today that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is "serious" about negotiating over denuclearisation, but he acknowledged a "substantial chance" that a summit planned for June 12 in Singapore could fall through.

"We're moving along. We'll see what happens," Trump told reporters at the White House, after welcoming South Korean President Moon Jae In for a meeting. "If it doesn't happen, maybe it will happen later."

Later Trump said: "It may not work out for June 12."

The uncertainty comes after recent hard line rhetoric from Pyongyang, which has alarmed Trump Administration officials and complicated the summit planning.

A high-ranking Kim aide last week blasted national security adviser John Bolton, who had suggested the North Koreans would be expected to fully relinquish their nuclear weapons programme before receiving reciprocal benefits from the United States.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Administration officials have emphasised that Trump remains committed to meeting with Kim, but they have to nail down key details for the summit, including the agenda and security logistics.

Trump appeared to suggest Kim could be having second thoughts because he's leading North Korea into an uncertain future.

"There are certain conditions we want, and I think we'll get those conditions," Trump said, though he did not offer details. "If we don't, we won't" hold the summit, he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Trump added that "North Korea has a chance to be a great country. It can't be a great country under the circumstances they're living in right now. I think they should seize the opportunity, and we'll soon find out whether or not they want to do that."

The President also attempted to reassure Kim that he would remain in power under a deal to relinquish North Korea's nuclear weapons.

"I will guarantee his safety, yes," Trump said. "He will be safe, he will be happy, his country will be rich, his country will be hard-working and prosperous."

If Kim strikes a deal, Trump added: "He will be able to look back and be very proud of what he did for North Korea and, actually, for the world."

Discover more

World

Pompeo vows heavy-handed approach to Iran

21 May 08:09 PM
World

Trump gagged: Two words he definitely can't say

22 May 04:31 AM
World

Trump the dealmaker now under pressure

22 May 05:00 PM
World

Get out! Judge sides with parents trying to evict their unemployed 30-year-old son

22 May 07:19 PM

Moon, who met with Kim last month at the demilitarised zone between South Korea and North Korea, is expected to encourage Trump to follow through. South Korea's national security adviser, Chung Eui Yong, told reporters travelling with Moon from Seoul that the US-North Korea summit is still likely to happen.

"We believe there is a 99.9 per cent chance the North Korea-US summit will be held as scheduled," he said. "But we're just preparing for many different possibilities."

.@realDonaldTrump says there’s a substantial chance the summit with North Korea will not happen in June pic.twitter.com/ETDzBhfKb9

— Jeff Mason (@jeffmason1) May 22, 2018

Sitting next to Trump in the Oval Office, Moon praised the President for his efforts on North Korea, saying Trump "has been able to achieve this dramatic change" in Kim's willingness to engage with foreign leaders. Over the past two months, the North Korean leader has made three trips outside this country - two to China and one over the border to South Korea - for the first time since taking power in 2011.

As he has before, Trump suggested that Pyongyang's shift to a more belligerent tone over the past week was the result of Kim's second meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Beijing remains intent on ensuring that a nuclear deal would not draw North Korea closer to the United States and away from China's influence.

Moon said he has "every confidence" that Trump could reach a deal with Kim that would formally end the Korean War and bring "peace and prosperity" to North Korea.

"It's been a relationship that seems to be working," Trump said of his relationship with Kim, though he declined to say whether he has spoken directly with the North Korean leader.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Trump said if his summit with Kim moves forward "that will be a great, great thing for North Korea. If it doesn't, that's okay, too. Whatever it is, it is."

Fewer than two dozen journalists allowed on our trip to North Korea’s nuclear site. Lots of empty seats on the flight to Wonsan. We expect an 11 hour train ride, 4 hour drive & 1 hour hike to Punggye Ri to observe what NK claims is site dismantlement. No experts, only reporters. pic.twitter.com/GYmesxkyR6

— Will Ripley (@willripleyCNN) May 22, 2018

Again, this is a lie told by the White House. North Korea’s position has not changed. This is not China’s fault. It’s not Kim’s fault. It is Trump’s fault. Do not let him rewrite this history. https://t.co/OJ6Xn2HyjE

— Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) May 22, 2018

The President’s comments on North Korea - “he’ll be happy, he’ll be rich, I’ll help make North Korea great” - are so off the charts weird and wrong. Jesus. Allies must be cringing; enemies are almost certainly laughing.

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) May 22, 2018

“Trump is loathed here,” says a professor in South Korea. https://t.co/ftOXaQfHMr

— Vox (@voxdotcom) May 22, 2018
Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

World

'Most horrific attacks': Russian strikes on Kyiv kill 14, injure dozens

17 Jun 08:03 AM
World

'No sense': Defence challenges motive in mushroom poisoning case

17 Jun 07:34 AM
World

'Everyone evacuate': Trump's warning amid G7 Middle East talks

17 Jun 07:15 AM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

'Most horrific attacks': Russian strikes on Kyiv kill 14, injure dozens

'Most horrific attacks': Russian strikes on Kyiv kill 14, injure dozens

17 Jun 08:03 AM

Twenty-seven locations in Kyiv were hit, including residential buildings.

'No sense': Defence challenges motive in mushroom poisoning case

'No sense': Defence challenges motive in mushroom poisoning case

17 Jun 07:34 AM
'Everyone evacuate': Trump's warning amid G7 Middle East talks

'Everyone evacuate': Trump's warning amid G7 Middle East talks

17 Jun 07:15 AM
Body in bushland confirmed as missing teen Pheobe Bishop

Body in bushland confirmed as missing teen Pheobe Bishop

17 Jun 04:47 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP