U.S. President Donald Trump holds a news conference after his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the JW Marriott hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam, Feb. 28, 2019. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Trump says Kim Jong-un wanted sanctions lifted alongside denuclearization

By Kim Yoo-chul, Lee Min-hyung

HANOI ― U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un failed to reach an agreement on denuclearization at their summit here in the Vietnamese capital, Thursday.

Ultimately, the breakdown of the summit "was about sanctions," Trump said in a press conference after the meeting with Kim.

"It wasn't a thing to be signing anything today. He (Kim Jong-un) is quite a guy, quite a character. We had some options but at this time, we decided not to do any of the options," Trump told reporters in a hurriedly arranged press conference after holding extended talks with the North Korean leader.

"Sometimes, you have to walk. This was just of those items. Basically, they (North Korea) wanted the sanctions lifted, and we couldn't do that. We haven't given up anything. He wants denuclearization. He just wants to do areas that are less important than what we want."

Ahead of the conference, the White House said in a statement that dialogue on nuclear disarmament would continue. "Their respective teams look forward to meeting in the future." But top U.S. officials went on to say that the negotiations will take time.

The second United States-North Korea summit started with nice words as the participants exchanged goodwill gestures, raising hopes that the two countries would announce an agreement that included specific and concrete steps by North Korea to scrap its nuclear capability, and Washington providing some low-level reciprocal measures.

But a planned working lunch between the leaders was called off abruptly without any specific reasons being given, and a scheduled joint signing ceremony was also canceled.

The North Korean delegation returned to the Hanoi Melia Hotel, where Kim is staying in the presidential suite on the 22nd floor.