US President Donald Trump has said that his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore could "work out very nicely" as officials from both countries sought to narrow differences on how to end a nuclear stand-off on the Korean peninsula.
The North Korean leader took an evening tour of sites on Singapore's waterfront, on the eve of the summit that is due to get underway on Tuesday morning at a nearby resort island.
Singapore's foreign minister took selfies alongside him.
The picture posted online by Vivian Balakrishnan as the group toured the waterfront is the first such public image of Kim Jong-un.
#Jalanjalan #guesswhwere? pic.twitter.com/oVOk8UuqlC
— Vivian Balakrishnan (@VivianBala) June 11, 2018
While President Trump was optimistic about prospects for the summit, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo injected a note of caution ahead of the first-ever meeting of sitting US and North Korean leaders, saying it remained to be seen whether Kim was sincere about his willingness to denuclearise.
Officials from the two sides held last-minute talks aimed at laying the groundwork for a meeting that was almost unthinkable just months ago when the two leaders were exchanging insults and threats that raised fears of war.
But after a flurry of diplomatic overtures eased tension in recent months, the two leaders are now headed for a history-making handshake that US officials hope could eventually lead to the dismantling of a North Korean nuclear programme that threatens the United States.
Offering a preview to reporters, Mr Pompeo said it could provide "an unprecedented opportunity to change the trajectory of our relationship and bring peace and prosperity" to North Korea.
However, he played down the possibility of a quick breakthrough and said the summit should set the framework for "the hard work that will follow", insisting that North Korea had to move toward complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation.
North Korea, though, has shown little appetite for surrendering nuclear weapons it considers vital to the survival of Kim's dynastic rule.
Sanctions on North Korea would remain in place until that had happened, Mr Pompeo said. "If diplomacy does not move in the right direction ... those measures will increase."
"North Korea has previously confirmed to us its willingness to denuclearise and we are eager to see if those words prove sincere," he said.
The White House later said discussions with North Korea had moved "more quickly than expected" and President Trump would leave Singapore on Tuesday night, after the summit. He had earlier been scheduled to leave on Wednesday.
Kim Jong-un is due to leave on Tuesday afternoon, a source involved in the planning of his visit, said on Sunday.
The White House said Mr Trump would hold a one-on-one meeting with Kim on Tuesday on the small island of Sentosa. The two will later be joined by officials and have lunch together.
Many experts on North Korea, one of the most insular and unpredictable countries in the world, remain sceptical Kim will ever completely abandon nuclear weapons. They believe Kim's engagement is aimed at getting the United States to ease the crippling sanctions that have squeezed the impoverished country.
Kelsey Davenport, director for Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association, said there were signs that the gaps between the two sides were narrowing but there was also risk.
"Trump is likely to declare the summit a victory irrespective of the outcome, but if the two sides fail to reach a common understanding of denuclearisation it will put at risk any process that the summit kicks off," he said.
"The process could be doomed before it begins."
Mr Trump initially touted the potential for a grand bargain with North Korea to rid itself of a nuclear missile programme that has advanced rapidly to threaten the United States.
But he has since lowered expectations, backing away from an original demand for North Korea's swift denuclearisation.
He has said the talks would be more about starting a relationship with Kim for a negotiating process that would take more than one summit.
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Kim, Trump arrive in Singapore ahead of historic summit
With the eyes of the world following him, President Trump flew into Singapore's Paya Lebar Air Base on board Air Force One, fresh from a divisive G7 meeting in Canada with some of Washington's closest allies that further strained global trade ties.
Asked by a reporter how he felt about the summit, Mr Trump said: "Very good".
In a tweet today, he said: "Great to be in Singapore, excitement in the air!"
Great to be in Singapore, excitement in the air!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 11, 2018
Mr Kim had arrived hours earlier on a plane loaned by China, which for decades has been North Korea's only major ally.
Both leaders were greeted on arrival by Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
When Mr Trump and Mr Kim meet at 2am Irish time tomorrow they will be making history as leaders of their two countries have never met previously - or even spoken on the telephone.
The summit's venue is the Capella hotel on Sentosa, a resort island off Singapore's port with a Universal Studios theme park and man-made beaches.
