- Ivanka Trump on Sunday said it was "surreal" to step into North Korea amid her father’s historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
- President Donald Trump facilitated a last-minute meeting with Kim amid ongoing efforts from the US to get North Korea to agree to denuclearization.
- Ivanka, a top adviser to the president, joined the president at the demilitarized zone that separates the Korean Peninsula for the meeting.
- This came as Ivanka was criticized and mocked over her presence at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, over the weekend.
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Ivanka Trump on Sunday said it was "surreal" to momentarily step into North Korea, a country the US is still technically at war with, as her father became the first sitting president in history to enter the rogue state.
Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, both top advisers to President Donald Trump, entered North Korea via a small conference building that sits inside the Korean peninsula’s demilitarized zone (DMZ).
The building straddles the border between North and South Korea, and it’s where Ivanka joined her father for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The first daughter had earlier signaled she would cross the border, on Saturday telling Bloomberg’s Jennifer Jacobs, "We need to continue that dialogue to work in good faith to realize that goal (of denuclearization). Today is another step in that direction."
After becoming the first commander-in-chief to step into North Korea, Trump told reporters it was a "a great honor." Trump also said he’d invite Kim to the White House.
"A lot of progress has been made, a lot of friendships have been made, and this has been in particular a great friendship," Trump said in reference to the ongoing talks between the US and North Korea over its nuclear program.
Read more: ‘This is a great friendship’: Trump invites Kim Jong Un to the White House after crossing North Korean border to shake hands
The historic meeting between Trump and Kim at the DMZ was facilitated last-minute via a tweet from the president.
Trump and Kim have already met at two major summits, but North Korea has still not denuclearized.
After they met, Trump said that the US and North Korea would resume negotiations after the discussions collapsed in Hanoi, Vietnam, earlier this year.
The president’s critics are concerned he’s helping to legitimize one of the world’s most repressive leaders. The president’s praise for Kim and characterization of him as a friend has catalyzed outrage among Democrats.
Ivanka’s presence at the DMZ on Sunday came amid renewed criticism over her influential and visible role in the Trump administration.
The president’s decision to elevate Ivanka, who had no prior political experience, to such a prominent role has led to accusations of nepotism from Trump’s critics in government and the media. Along these lines, Ivanka’s presence at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, over the weekend led to significant criticism and mockery.
See Also:
- From rich kid to first daughter: The life of Ivanka Trump
- Trump administration could drop demand for North Korea’s total denuclearization and settle for a ‘freeze’ instead, New York Times reports
- Trump and Ivanka met K-Pop boy band EXO on a visit to South Korea’s presidential palace
Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (John Haltiwanger)