NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/SINGAPORE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT:“President Trump and Kim Jong-un of North Korea will hold the first-ever meeting between leaders of their two countries on Tuesday [6-12-18] morning in Singapore, carrying with them hopes of ending seven decades of hostility and the threat of a nuclear confrontation. At stake is the American goal of ridding North Korea of its nuclear arsenal, Mr. Kim’s desire to remove American weapons from the Korean Peninsula and to be recognized as a player on the world stage, and the international desire to ease the North’s provocations, poverty and extreme isolation. The talks begin at 9 a.m. on Tuesday— 9 p.m. Eastern on Monday [6-11-18]— and could even open the way to an official end to the Korean War, which concluded in 1953 with a truce but never a peace treaty. South Korea will not be at the table, nor will China, the North’s most crucial backer. The summit meeting is the most prominent moment yet in international diplomacy for both Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim. Not long ago, they were better known for threatening each other’s countries with destruction than for peace overtures.”
-NYT Staff, “Live Updates: President Trump to Meet Kim Jong-un of North Korea,” The New York Times online, June 11, 2018 10:50 am