IT'S FASCINATING, IT'S HISTORIC
AND IT IS MIND-BLOWING, JOHN
ROBERTS LIVE ON THE NORTH LAWN.
LET'S BRING IN JOSH LETTERMAN.
THIS IS MIND-BLOWING.
THE PRESIDENT WAS TEASING THE
MEDIA SAYING, WOULDN'T YOU LOVE
TO SEE WHAT IS IN THE LETTER AND
HOW MUCH DO YOU GOT AND THE
LETTER WAS FASCINATING AND
INTERESTING AND THEN LATER HE
SAID NO, I HAVEN'T READ THE
LETTER YET AT ALL.
>> RIGHT, TRACE.
CLEARLY THE LETTER WAS AN EXCUSE
FOR HIM TO COME HERE, HAVE THIS
HISTORIC INTERACTION WITH THE
UNITED STATES PRESIDENT.
THE LETTER IN AND OF ITSELF IS
SYMBOLIC.
IT'S NOT THE WHOLE DEAL HERE.
TO SEE HOW QUICK THE PRESIDENT
WAS AFTER THIS TWO-HOUR MEETING
TO RAISE THE EXPECTATIONS FOR
THIS SUMMIT THAT IS NOW
BARRELLING AHEAD ON JUNE 12.
DIDN'T REALLY SOUND LIKE A
GET-TO-KNOW-YOU MEETING.
SOUNDS LIKE A MAJOR MOMENT, THE
START OF A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
TWO COUNTRIES AS HE SAID, THAT
HAVE NOT HAD DIPLOMATIC
RELATIONS IN DECADES.
NOW HEADING TO THE SUMMIT IN
SINGAPORE, A LOT ON THE TABLE
FOR THIS TO MEET THE BAR THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS SET TODAY.
>> IF YOU MISSED IT, WE'VE BEEN
TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR AN HOUR
NOW.
I WANT TO PLAY SOME SOUND HERE
WHEN THE PRESIDENT TALK ABOUT
THE EVOLVING RELATIONSHIP WITH
THE UNITED STATES AND NORTH
KOREA.
WATCH THIS.
>> I THINK THEY'RE OKAY.
THEY'RE GOOD.
LIKE THE RELATIONSHIPS WITH A
COUPLE OTHER COUNTRIES?
PROBABLY NOT.
BUT I THINK THE RELATIONSHIP
WITH NORTH KOREA IS AS GOOD AS
IT'S BEEN IN A LONG TIME.
THEY HAD NO RELATIONSHIP UNDER
THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION.
IT WAS NOTHING.
THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED A
LONG TIME AGO.
GOT TO A CRITICAL POINT.
THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED
MANY YEARS AGO.
NOT ONLY BY PRESIDENT OBAMA BUT
OTHER PRESIDENTS.
>> HERE'S THE AMAZING THING.
EVERYTHING IS GOING FORWARD,
DOING WELL.
THE FUNNY THING IS, YOU TALK
ABOUT THE SOUTH KOREANS.
THEY BELIEVE THAT KIM YOUNG
CHUL, THE NUMBER 2 MAN IN NORTH
KOREA, IS A VERY BAD GUY.
THEY BELIEVE HE WAS BEHIND IN
THE ATTACK ON A NAVAL SHIP IN
2010 THAT KILLED 46 SAILORS.
WE BELIEVE HE WAS BEHIND THE
ATTACK ON SONY PICTURES.
THIS ISN'T A GUY THAT IS COVETED
IN THE UNITED STATES AND ALL OF
A SUDDEN YOU HAVE THIS MINI
SUMMIT TODAY THAT IS LEADING TO
THIS JUNE 12 SUMMIT.
THIS IS MOVING AT BREAK-NECK
SPEED.
>> IT IS.
SUPPORTERS OF THE PRESIDENT SAYS
YOU DON'T MAKE FRIENDS WITH YOUR
FRIENDS.
YOU DON'T SEEK PEACE WITH PEOPLE
THAT YOU'RE ALREADY CLOSE WITH.
YOU SECRETARY IT WITH ENEMIES,
PEOPLE THAT YOU HAVE REALLY
DIFFICULT ISSUES, LIKE THE ONE
YOU DESCRIBED.
OUR PROBLEMS IN SOUTH KOREA'S
PROBLEMS WITH NORTH KOREA'S
BEHAVIOR OVER MANY DECADES.
THERE'S A WIDE GAP THAT NEEDS TO
BE BRIDGED BY THE TWO COUNTRIES.
YOU KNOW, HE'S TALKING ABOUT HOW
THINGS ARE BETTER THAN THEY HAVE
BEFORE IN FOREVER.
A FEW MONTHS AGO, THE PRESIDENT
WAS THREATENING FEWER AND FURY.
WHAT HAS CHANGED FROM THEN TILL
NOW OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN
RHETORIC?
WE HAVEN'T SEEN A CHANGE IN
BEHAVIOR OTHER THAN THE THREE
AMERICANS THAT WERE RELEASED BY
NORTH KOREA.
ON THE KEY ISSUES THAT THE U.S.
AND ITS ALLIES ARE WORRIED
ABOUT, THE NUCLEAR ISSUES, THE
OTHER TROUBLING BEHAVIOR, THAT
STILL HAS TO BE WORKED OUT BY
THE PRESIDENT AND KIM JONG-UN
WHEN THEY MEET IN SINGAPORE.
>> IF PEOPLE ARE THINKING THIS
IS ABOUT LUCY AND CHARLIE BROWN
AND MOVING THE FOOTBALL, THIS
MAN, THIS KIM YOUNG CHUL THAT
CAME HERE, HE HAS THE EAR OF KIM
JONG-UN.
WE KNOW THAT.
HE WAS AT BOTH OF THE MEETINGS
WITH PRESIDENT XI IN CHINA.
HE WAS AT BOTH OF THE SUMMITS
WITH SOUTH KOREA.
HE WAS RIGHT NEXT TO KIM
JONG-UN.
HE'S THE ONE THAT DELIVERED THIS
LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT TODAY.
JOSH, MY QUESTION TO YOU IS, THE
LETTER WASN'T READ BUT IT SEEMS
LIKE THE LETTER ISN'T THAT
IMPORTANT.
IT'S A SYMBOL, IF YOU WILL, FOR
THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, KIM
JONG-UN IS SAYING, OKAY, THIS IS
MY TOKEN OF RESPECT FOR THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
I'M GOING TO WRITE HIM A LETTER.
DOESN'T MATTER WHAT IS IN IT.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE MEETING
JUNE 12.
THIS IS A SYMBOL THAT THEY CAN
PUT IN A MUSEUM SOME DAY.
>> THAT'S RIGHT, A SHOW OF
RESPECT.
ONE LEADER TO ANOTHER.
IT'S AN EFFORT TO TRY TO CORRECT
WHAT WAS A SHOW OF DISRESPECT
THAT WAS TRUMP WAS COMPLAINING
ABOUT 1 1/2, 2 WEEKS AGO WHEN HE
CANCELLED THE SUMMIT.
NORTH KOREA TRYING TO SHOW THAT
WE'RE HERE, WE'RE READY TO
ACTUALLY MAKE THIS GO FORWARD.
THE OTHER SYMBOLIC PART THAT WE
SHOULDN'T LOSE TRACK OF, HOW
SIGNIFICANT THIS WILL BE BACK
HOME IN NORTH KOREA.
THIS TYPE OF OVAL OFFICE
RECEPTION, A SENIOR OF NORTH
KOREAN IN THE WHITE HOUSE WITH
THE PRESIDENT, VERY SIGNIFICANT.
THE KIND OF RELATIONSHIP WITH A
MAJOR WORLD POWER THAT NORTH
KOREA HAS WANTED TO BE ABLE TO
PROJECT TO ITS PEOPLE FOR QUITE
SOME TIME.
>> WE WERE STUNNED BY THE
PRESIDENT TALKING ABOUT ENDING
THE KOREAN WAR AFTER SO MANY
YEARS.
I WANT TO PLAY THIS SOUND BITE.
THIS IS FASCINATING.
WATCH.
>> WE TALKED ABOUT IT.
WE TALKED ABOUT ENDING THE WAR.
THIS WAR HAS BEEN GOING ON --
HAS TO BE THE LONGEST WAR.
THERE'S A POSSIBILITY SOMETHING
LIKE THAT -- THAT'S MORE OF A
SIGNING OF A DOCUMENT THAT IS
VERY IMPORTANT IN ONE WAY AND
HISTORIC LICK VERY IMPORTANT.
WE'LL SEE.
WE DID DISCUSS THAT.
THE ENDING OF THE KOREAN WAR.
CAN YOU BELIEVE WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT THAT?
>> NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT
REUNIFYING NORTH AND SOUTH
KOREA.
BUT SYMBOLISM GOES A LONG WAY.
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
SAYING JUNE 12, WE COULD SIGN A
DOCUMENT THAT COULD END THE
KOREAN WAR AFTER DECADES AND
DECADES AND DECADES.
THAT IN ITSELF IS SIGNIFICANT,
JOSH.
>> ITS HUGELY SIGNIFICANT.
IT WILL CREATE ANXIOUS ALLIES
FOR THE U.S. LIKE JAPAN WHO SAYS
HOLD ON A SECOND.
WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO
BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT ENDING THE
WAR THAT HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE
FOR DECADES, THE ARMISTICE
AGREEMENT IN PLACE.
THERE'S A WHOLE LOT THAT HAS NOT
BEEN IRONED OUT.
FOR THE PRESIDENT TO BE ALREADY
TALKING ABOUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO
END THIS WITHIN A COUPLE WEEKS
SEEMS TO SUGGEST A RUSH TO HAVE
CONCILIATION WITH NORTH KOREA
THAT MIGHT NOT BE BACKED UP BY
THE KINDS OF FACTS THAT OUR
ALLIES IN THE REGION REALLY WANT
TO HEAR ABOUT.
>> YEAH, THE FIRST PART OF THIS
AND I'LL LET YOU GO, THE FIRST
PART OF THIS NEWS CONFERENCE,
THE PRESIDENT SAID IT'S A
PROCESS.
MIGHT TAKE SEVERAL MEETINGS.
THEN HE SAID WE'RE GOING TO END
THE WAR AND WHO KNOWS WHAT'S
GOING ON AFTER THAT.
IT REALLY WILL BE MAYBE MONTHS,
MAYBE YEARS.
GOING TO TAKE A LONG TIME, THIS
IS A -- CERTAINLY A STEP IN THE
RIGHT DIRECTION.
>> IT IS.
LOOK BACK AT THE IRAN NUCLEAR
DEAL.
THESE ARE DIFFICULT THINGS TO
WORK OUT.
NOT THE KIND OF THING THAT YOU
CAN EASILY FORESEE BEING WORKED
OUT OVER A COUPLE HOURS IN