Trump, Kim Jong Un talks ‘significant’ despite vague agreement

While the historic talks between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may have lacked specifics about the path toward denuclearization, they still mark a “significant” turning point between the two historically antagonistic countries, according to the Voice of America Korean service chief

“This is a significant because it is the first agreement between a sitting U.S. president and North Korean leader on the nuclear issue,” Dong Hyuk Lee said during an interview with FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on Tuesday. “Basically, [the] North Korean leader has given his personal commitment to denuclearization to [the] sitting U.S. president. It is significant.”

The leaders concluded their Tuesday meeting by signing an agreement that acknowledges progress in their talks. That deal reportedly includes a commitment to a “complete denuclearization” of the Korean peninsula aimed at establishing a “peace regime.”

Trump and Kim met privately for 40 minutes before advisers from both sides – including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and national security adviser John Bolton – joined them for expanded talks.

While Lee said the vagueness of the agreement raised some concerns that Kim was playing the U.S. since the deal included no language about verifiable and irreversible denuclearization, he acknowledged that it was just the start of talks between the two nations.

“We have to put things into context,” he said. “This is just the start of the process of actual work of negotiations.”