President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Moon Jae-in, right, and Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon watch a television screen showing footage on as summit between US President Donald Trump and top leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong-un in Singapore during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, June 12, 2018. (YONHAP / AFP)
SEOUL/SINGAPORE/TOKYO/MOSCOW – Cheers in the Republic of Korea (ROK) and a one-page "extra" edition of a Japanese newspaper greeted Tuesday's unprecedented summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. Around Asia and the world, many have welcomed a flurry of diplomacy between the two adversaries in recent months, and are cautiously hopeful about peace on the Korean Peninsula.
IN PICTURES: Trump, Kim in historic Singapore summit
United Nations SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres has urged the international community to offer support on carrying out the agreement on steps toward denuclearization between the United States and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
"Implementing today's and previous agreements reached, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions, will require patience and support from the global community,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
We will write a new chapter of peace and cooperation leaving the dark days of war and conflict behind
Moon Jae-in, ROK President
The UN nuclear watchdog welcomed the joint statement and said it was prepared to undertake verification activities.
Trump and Kim pledged to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and Washington committed to provide security guarantees.
"The International Atomic Energy Agency stands ready to undertake any verification activities in the DPRK that it may be requested to conduct by the countries concerned, subject to authorization by the IAEA’s Board of Governors," Director General Yukiya Amano said in a statement.
In the ROK, President Moon Jae-in called the summit between a "success."
In a statement, Moon applauded Kim and Trump for their courage and determination to take a daring step towards change.
Moon said the joint statement signed by the two leaders will be recorded as a historic event that would help dissolve the last remaining vestige of the Cold War.
The two countries agreed to establish a new kind of bilateral relations under the joint statement.
Moon said it was a great victory achieved by both the United States and the two Koreas, and a huge step forward for people across the world who long for peace.
The ROK president also extended his heartfelt appreciation to Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and other world leaders who helped make the summit a success.
"We will write a new chapter of peace and cooperation leaving the dark days of war and conflict behind," said Moon, who vowed to be there together with the DPRK along the way.
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, left, is shown the way by his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, prior to their talks at Abe's official residence in Tokyo, June 12, 2018. (TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/POOL PHOTO VIA AP)
'Bright future'
Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also hailed the agreement signed by Trump and Kim, saying that such a move would be "a step toward the comprehensive resolution of various issues."
Abe said that the DPRK could be facing a brighter and more prosperous future.
The DPRK "has rich natural resources and a diligent workforce. It will have a bright future if it treads down the right path," Abe added.
In Russia, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov approved of Trump's meeting with Kim, Interfax reported.
"The mere fact of the meeting between the leaders of the United States and North Korea is positive ... We are following the comments that both sides are making but we have not seen the document yet, we'll see," Lavrov was quoted as saying.
The DPRK is also referred to as North Korea.
Russia is ready to assist in implementing the deal - to work towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula - and hopes settling the nuclear crisis will unblock normal economic cooperation, RIA news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a press conference in Moscow on April 20, 2018. (YURI KADOBNOV / AFP)
Ryabkov also said Moscow hoped that six-party talks - a negotiation format involving the two Koreas, the United States, Russia, Japan and China - will at some point become relevant again, according to TASS.
Russia's Foreign Ministry praised Trump's move to end war games with the ROK, saying it was necessary to stop provocative actions to ease tensions on the peninsula.
Britain also welcomed the DPRK's commitment to denuclearisation, saying the summit was an important step towards the stability of the region.
“The reaffirmation of North Korea’s commitment in the Panmunjom Declaration to work towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is a signal that Kim Jong-un may have finally heeded the message that only a change of course can bring a secure and prosperous future to the people of North Korea," Foreign minister Boris Johnson said.
He added: "There is much work to be done and we hope that Kim continues to negotiate in good faith towards complete verifiable and irreversible denuclearization."
New Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, on a visit to Tokyo, said "I hope that both parties will accept the fact that, in negotiation, both sides must be prepared to give in certain issues if they expect to reach a good conclusion."
Former NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman, and Chris Volo, right, arrive at Singapore's Changi Airport, June 12, 2018. (WONG MAYE-E / AP)
'I'm so happy'
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman openly wept on television in a live interview from Singapore Tuesday as Trump and Kim met for the first time.
The eccentric former reality television star is one of the few Westerners to have spent time with Kim during multiple visits to Pyongyang. The two struck up an unlikely friendship over their shared love of basketball. Rodman also goes back years with Trump and appeared on his "Celebrity Apprentice" show.
Rodman told the AP in a phone interview that he had received a call from White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders ahead of the Trump-Kim summit. "She sent her best wishes and said that Donald Trump is really proud of you. He's happy you're having some type of part of this whole situation," Rodman recalled her saying. "He's very happy to carry out the things I've been saying."
Rodman suggested he helped lay at least the groundwork for the summit, joking to the AP that he "should be pushing for the Nobel Peace Prize. At least give me a piece of it, something like that. An honorable mention."
