Revealing the official content of the discussion at the US-North Korea summit

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrives at Singapore airport on June 10. Photo: Yonhap

Discussion on peace and denuclearization

Mr. Kim and Mr. Trump arrived in Singapore on June 10 to prepare for the first-ever summit between the sitting leaders of the two longtime “enemies” taking place on June 12.

“Wide-ranging views on the issue of establishing new DPRK-US relations, the issue of building a lasting and durable peace-keeping mechanism on the Korean Peninsula, the issue of realizing denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and other issues of common concern, as required by the changing times, will be exchanged at the DPRK-US summit talks,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a statement.

KCNA noted that this summit is the first high-level meeting in history between the two countries and will be held “under the great attention and expectations of the whole world.”

Accompanying Mr. Kim were officials including Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea Kim Yong-chol, Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea in charge of international affairs Ri Su-yong and Minister of the People's Armed Forces of Korea No Kwang-chol, the news agency said.

Upon his arrival at Changi International Airport on June 10, Mr. Kim was greeted by Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and other senior officials. The North Korean leader also met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana.

“He expressed deep gratitude to the Singapore government for its sincere cooperation in providing all the best conditions and facilities for the historic DPRK-US summit and talks,” KCNA said.

According to the source, Mr. Kim and the Singaporean Prime Minister discussed “issues of developing bilateral relations in a comprehensive manner by widely enhancing exchanges and cooperation while maintaining excellent relations and deepening the friendly relations between the two countries.”

US President Donald Trump was welcomed by Singapore's Foreign Minister upon his arrival in the lion island nation on the evening of June 10. Photo: Reuters

Summit preparations complete

In a related development, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that senior diplomats from North Korea and the United States will hold talks today (June 11), in an effort to draft an agreement to present to the leaders of the two countries.

According to White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, Ambassador Sung Kim - the US State Department's senior North Korea expert, plans to hold a working-level meeting with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Cho Son-hui at 10 a.m. Singapore time (9 a.m. Vietnam time).

The meeting comes a day before a historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and President Trump. Choe and Kim have held several rounds of talks at Panmunjom along the inter-Korean border, reportedly focusing on the summit agenda, including denuclearization and security guarantees.

It is known that this trip to North Korea is Mr. Kim Jong-un's first public trip to Southeast Asia since taking office in 2011. According to sources, Mr. Kim declared that "if the summit brings positive results, the efforts of the Singaporean government will be forever recorded in history."

US President Donald Trump also flew to Singapore on June 10 after attending the G7 Summit in Canada.