President Donald Trump has extended an invitation to the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un to visit the White House, after a recent visit to the communist state, the Business Insider has reported.
In the wake to his state visit to the United Kingdom, the Republican leader crossed over the demilitarized zone to shake hands with Kim Jong-un, after earlier offering to meet with him in person on social media. Trump is now the first American president to cross the DMZ, and the first to shake hands with the Chairman of the Workers Party.
In a press conference held near the border between North and South Korea, Trump told international and local news reporters that: "This was a special moment, a historic moment. Stepping across that line was a great honor. A lot of progress has been made and a lot of friendships have been made and this, in particular, is a great friendship."
Trump added: "I want to thank the Chairman. You've got to hear that powerful voice. We met and we liked each other from day one and that was very important."
Meanwhile, Kim Jong-un stated: "President Trump has just walked across the demarcation line. That has made him the first US President to visit our country. Actually just looking at this action, this is an expression of his willingness to eliminate all the unfortunate past and open a new future."
He continued: "If it wasn't for that good relationship, we would not have been able to make this sudden meeting possible. So this excellent relationship in the future as well, I hope that it can be the foundation for better things in the future that people will be not expecting. And this will be a very mysterious force that allows us to overcome many difficulties that existed in the past."
The United States and North Korea have agreed resume stalled nuclear talks, after the last summit broke down in February of last year.
Critics of Trump have dismissed the meeting as political spin, and claim that North Korea still needs to show it is willing to denuclearise its weapons program before peace in the Far East can be achieved. However, it's hard to deny that such a meeting is unprecedented, and perhaps it could lead to more in-depth discussions in time.