President Trump revealed to reporters that South Korea will make a “major announcement” about North Korea on Thursday evening.
The president made an impromptu visit to the White House briefing room to share the news with reporters, saying the announcement from South Korean officials would come at 7 p.m. EST.
BREAKING: @realDonaldTrump appears in the briefing room to say South Korea will make a “major announcement” at 7PM pic.twitter.com/uBCRfs0dly
— Andrew Feinberg (@agfhome) March 8, 2018
CNN’s Jeff Zeleny said the president told reporters South Korea would be making a statement “on a big subject, North Korea.”
Here’s my pic of President Trump when he popped his head into the briefing room a short time ago, saying South Korea would be making statement tonight “on a big subject — North Korea.” pic.twitter.com/K5MYu0K9zD
— Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) March 8, 2018
NBC News’ Hallie Jackson reported that a South Korean national security adviser would be the one to deliver the announcement, introduced by White House press secretary Sarah Sanders. Trump reportedly will not be present.
A Fox News report said the announcement will concern an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to meet with Trump, though there is no change to planned U.S.-South Korea military exercises in April or a commitment by Kim to stop nuclear and missile testing.
South Korean negotiators met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un earlier this week. The meeting, which took place in Pyongyang, lasted four hours, and marks the first time Kim Jong Un has met in-person with South Korean officials since he became North Korea’s leader in 2011, according to CNN.
Chung Eui-yong, head of the South Korean National Security Office, attended the meeting and is now in the U.S. for a two-day visit. He reportedly was scheduled to meet Thursday with national security adviser H.R. McMaster, according to CNN.
The South Korean delegation will also meet with other Trump administration officials to discuss the meeting with the North Korean dictator.
