(CNN) — President Donald Trump said Friday he plans to address human rights when he meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the upcoming Singapore summit. “We’ll bring it up,” the President told reporters before departing for the G7 Summit. North Korea has perpetuated human rights abuses for decades, according to watchdog agencies, human rights groups and the US government. A 2014 report from a United Nations Human Rights Council commission found the authoritarian regime had committed “systemic, widespread and gross human rights violations” including “arbitrary detention, torture, executions and enforced disappearance to political prison camps, violations of the freedoms of thought, expression and religion, (and) discrimination on the basis of State-assigned social class, gender, and disability.” The UN commission concluded that crimes against humanity had been committed by North Korean officials. “These crimes against humanity entail extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions and other sexual violence, persecution on political, religious, racial and gender grounds, the forcible transfer of populations, the enforced disappearance of persons and the inhumane act of knowingly causing prolonged starvation,” the report read. It noted that these crimes were ongoing “because the policies, institutions and patterns of impunity that lie at their heart remain in place.” Trump did not address North Korea’s human rights offenses during his lengthy Oval Office meeting with Kim Yong Chol, a top aide to the North Korean leader, in early June. “We did not talk about human rights, no,” Trump said when asked by reporters at the time but noted he would “probably” discuss them with Kim Jong Un, “maybe in great detail.” CNN’s Kaitlin Collins and Nicole Gaouette contributed to this report.<doc-sep>U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, second from right, greets Kim Yong Chol, second from left, a North Korean senior ruling party official and former intelligence chief, as they arrive for a meeting at the Park Hwa Guest House in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, July 6, 2018. Pompeo is on a trip traveling to North Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Abu Dhabi, and Brussels. Also pictured is Andrew Kim, the head of the CIA's Korea Mission Center, right. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool) WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 09: National Security Adviser John Bolton speaks on a morning television show from the grounds of the White House, on May 9, 2018 in Washington, DC. Yesterday President Donald Trump announced that America was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) N. Korea to Pompeo: You may not have slept well U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, speaks during a meeting with North Korean Director of the United Front Department Kim Yong Chol at the Park Hwa Guest House in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, July 6, 2018. Pompeo is on a trip traveling to North Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Abu Dhabi, and Brussels. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool) SINGAPORE - JUNE 12: In this handout photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump during their historic U.S.-DPRK summit at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island on June 12, 2018 in Singapore. U.S. President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held the historic meeting between leaders of both countries on Tuesday morning in Singapore, carrying hopes to end decades of hostility and the threat of North Korea's nuclear program. (Photo by Kevin Lim/THE STRAITS TIMES/Handout/Getty Images) SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE - JUNE 12: In this handout photograph provided by The Strait Times, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) with U.S. President Donald Trump (R) during their historic U.S.-DPRK summit at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island on June 12, 2018 in Singapore. U.S. President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held the historic meeting between leaders of both countries on Tuesday morning in Singapore, carrying hopes to end decades of hostility and the threat of North Korea's nuclear programme. (Photo by Kevin Lim/The Strait Times/Handout/Getty Images) TOPSHOT - North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (L) shakes hands with US President Donald Trump (R) after taking part in a signing ceremony at the end of their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. - Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un became on June 12 the first sitting US and North Korean leaders to meet, shake hands and negotiate to end a decades-old nuclear stand-off. (Photo by Anthony WALLACE / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images) TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump (R) poses with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (L) at the start of their historic US-North Korea summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore on June 12, 2018. - Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un have become on June 12 the first sitting US and North Korean leaders to meet, shake hands and negotiate to end a decades-old nuclear stand-off. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (3rd L) shakes hands with North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho (3rd R) as they arrive for a group photo at the ASEAN Regional Forum Retreat during the 51st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Ministerial Meeting (AMM) in Singapore on August 4, 2018. - Leaders, ministers and representatives are meeting in the city-state from August 1 to 4 for the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM). (Photo by Mohd RASFAN / AFP) (Photo credit should read MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images) (CNN) — President Donald Trump has thrown another twist into the North Korean summit saga, announcing he will meet with leader Kim Jong Un on June 12 after all – and raising some concern that history may be repeating itself. Trump met in the Oval Office on Friday with former North Korean spy chief Kim Yong Chol for about 90 minutes – the highest-level North Korean official to visit the US in 18 years – and sent him off with a smile and a handshake. The prospect of a summit instead of the pre-emptive war that many feared just a few months ago drew praise. But, in comments to reporters on the South Lawn afterward, Trump set down markers that seemed to shift the US position in ways analysts said could undermine Washington’s leverage. RELATED: Trump says Singapore summit with Kim is back on Trump told reporters he would not add extra sanctions on Pyongyang and would no longer use the term “maximum pressure” – the international sanctions regimen designed to squeeze North Korea. ’Take your time’ While US officials had said Pyongyang must denuclearize and take action to show it’s serious, Trump was vague about North Korea’s commitment to do so, even as US intelligence services warn that some of Pyongyang’s gestures toward dismantling its weapons programs might be nothing more than propaganda. And where the administration once talked about a nuclear deal and one summit, Trump on Friday stressed that this is “a process” that will go on for some time: “I told them today, ‘Take your time. We can go fast. We can go slowly.’ “ For many Korea watchers and national security analysts, it had a familiar ring: a wily North Korean regime parlaying a willingness to talk and the eagerness of its interlocutors into long drawn-out negotiations that give it recognition, concessions and validation. “Right now, it seems President Trump’s North Korea policy is in a state of flux,” said Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest, a foreign policy think tank. “The Trump strategy now seems to be to cajole the North Koreans into a potential nuclear deal,” Kazianis said, by showing Pyongyang that America can guarantee its security and provide massive economic assistance.<doc-sep>After much speculation, President Donald Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for a historic summit in Singapore Tuesday, marking the first time that a North Korean leader has met with a sitting U.S. president; remarkable as the two countries have no diplomatic relations and are officially still at war. With North Korea’s self described “complete” nuclear arsenal, and a history of tensely traded threats with the U.S., the stakes are dizzyingly high. Here’s a look at what to expect from the summit. Where and when is the summit taking place? The hotly anticipated summit began at the Capella Hotel on Singapore’s Sentosa Island, with the first meeting kicking off just after their handshake at 9:05 a.m. local time. The hotel is a secluded luxury resort on the island with two presidential suites, one of which is a standalone property that could be prime for hosting the high level talks. Trump and Kim shared a historic handshake shortly after 9:00 a.m. before meeting one-on-one, with the assistance of interpreters, for about 45 minutes. The leaders then walked along a balcony at the Capella Hotel to a discussion joined by senior aides and a working lunch. Trump called the opening session “very, very good” and praised the “excellent relationship” between the leaders. Kim is scheduled to depart Singapore by 2:00 p.m., just five hours after the summit’s start, according to Reuters, leaving only a brief window for historic diplomatic headway to be made. After several bilateral meetings, the leaders signed as-yet unspecified documents that Trump described as “pretty comprehensive.” Trump said they had “developed a very special bond” in Singapore, while Kim told reporters that “the world will see a major change.” Trump also predicted that the two would meet “many, many times” in the future, adding that he would “absolutely” consider inviting Kim to the White House. The location Located off the southern coast of Singapore, Sentosa is home to other high-end hotels, beaches and amusement parks including Universal Studios Singapore. Its separation from the city centre may have been a factor in its selection as the summit location. But in addition to resorts and recreation, the island also has a darker history. Sentosa was once known as Pulau Blakang Mati, meaning “Behind Death” in Malay, and has witnessed epidemics, massacres, and prisoner of war camps. Singapore will be the furthest distance Kim Jong Un has traveled since assuming leadership of North Korea in 2011. An entrance glows outside the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island in Singapore June 5, 2018. Yong Teck Lim—AP Photo Who will attend the summit? Trump and Kim will bring their own delegations to the summit. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who travelled to North Korea twice earlier this year to negotiate and finalize the summit, Chief of Staff John Kelly and National Security Adviser John Bolton comprise Trump’s team, along with other senior White House officials. Sung Kin, the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines, is also on hand to direct policy discussions with the North Korean delegation. Absent from Trump’s delegation are First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who will both remain in the U.S., and Defense Secretary James Mattis, who recently visited Singapore. Kim Jong Un is joined in Singapore by various members of his inner circle, who have also been involved in negotiating efforts over the past months. Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong attended the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea with an invitation for Moon Jae-in that paved the way for inter-Korea talks at the end of April. Kim Yong Chol, often regarded as Kim Jong Un’s right-hand man, has played a pivotal role representing North Korea in negotiations leading up to the summit. Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and former Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong also joined Kim’s team for a discussion with senior aides, according to the White House Press Office. Another group who also accompanied Kim are his jogging bodyguard unit, who made an appearance that went viral at April’s inter-Korea summit. President Donald Trump talks with Kim Yong Chol, one of Kim Jong Un's closest aides, at the White House in Washington, DC on June 1, 2018. Andrew Harnik—AP/REX/Shutterstock Have negotiations to arrange the summit been easy? In the words of James Mattis, it has been a “bumpy road” to say the least. After the first meeting between Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae In in April, South Korea announced the North’s intention to meet with the U.S. by the end of May. Trump then made a surprise announcement on Twitter on May 10 that the summit would take place in Singapore on 12 June. However, the summit appeared to hit a roadblock two weeks later, when Trump called off the summit in a letter to Kim Jong Un on May 24. “Sadly, based on the tremendous anger displayed in your most recent statement,” Trump wrote to Kim, “I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting.” The abrupt announcement came after North Korea made its anger known at Mike Pence’s comments comparing the country’s nuclear disarmament to the Libya example on Fox News. One week after the cancellation, in another rollercoaster turn, Trump announced that the summit was back on track following negotiations between top level officials on both sides, and after Kim Yong Chol delivered a personal letter from Kim Jong Un to Trump. What will Trump and Kim talk about? Trump and Kim met and shook hands shortly after 9:00 a.m. Both leaders acknowledged their countries’ progress making it to that point. “We will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt,” Trump told reporters. “Overcoming all the obstacles, we have managed to arrive here today,” Kim said. Trump had previously said he would be able to assess Kim’s intentions within a minute. “I think I’ll know very quickly whether or not something good is going to happen. I also think I’ll know whether it will happen fast,” Trump had told reporters on June 9. The two met one-on-one with the assistance of interpreters for 40 minutes, before the summit reconvened with aides and negotiators for more talks.<doc-sep>"President Trump and I believe Chairman Kim is the kind of leader who can make those kinds of decisions. And that in the coming weeks and months, we will have the opportunity to test whether or not this is the case," he said.<doc-sep>
"We'll be meeting on June 12 in Singapore," President Donald Trump said at the White House after meeting with Kim Yong Chol, North Korea’s No. 2 official. Trump says Kim meeting is back on: ‘We’re getting along’ The announcement came after the president hosted North Korea’s No. 2 in the Oval Office on Friday. President Donald Trump held an extraordinary Oval Office meeting with Kim Jong Un’s deputy on Friday, after which he snapped a chummy photo with the North Korean official and announced that the historic summit with Kim is back on. “We‘ll be meeting on June 12 in Singapore,“ Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House after escorting Kim Yong Chol, Kim Jong Un‘s second in command, into a vehicle. However, Trump tempered expectations for what the meeting in Singapore will yield, saying nothing would be signed during the summit and that it would simply be the beginning of a process toward denuclearizing North Korea. “It‘s a process. ... We're not going to go in and sign something on June 12 and we never will,“ the president said. “We‘re going to start a process.“ The meeting was the latest dramatic twist in the lead-up to the summit, which holds the potential for a legacy-affirming foreign policy victory for Trump. The president has appeared tempted by the idea that a deal to denuclearize North Korea could earn him a Nobel Peace Prize, but critics have warned that Trump should be highly skeptical of the North Koreans’ intentions and not quickly provide sanctions relief. Trump delivered his comments after a nearly 80-minute meeting with Kim Yong Chol, a former top spy for North Korea, during which the official delivered a personal letter from the dictator to Trump. Noting the longer-than-anticipated conversations, Trump remarked, “This was literally going to be the delivery of a letter and ended up being a two-hour conversation with the second most powerful man in North Korea.“ It was not immediately clear whether Trump had read the personal note from the North Korean leader. Initially asked for his reaction to the letter, Trump told reporters it “was a very nice“ and a “very interesting letter,“ appearing to indicate he was privy to its contents. But Trump later said he intentionally did not open it. “I haven't seen the letter yet,“ the president said. “I purposely didn‘t open the letter. I haven‘t opened it.“ The remarks came just over a week after Trump called off the meeting, citing “open hostility“ displayed by Kim Jong Un’s government after North Korean officials threatened to strike the U.S. with its nuclear arsenal. Despite making a show of pulling out of the summit, Trump and top U.S. officials continued to work toward planning the event and teased the possibility that it might take place as previously scheduled. Trump said as recently as Thursday that “hopefully we’ll have a meeting on the 12th.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was a central part of the Oval Office meeting on Friday, which also included chief of staff John Kelly. National security adviser John Bolton, who is deeply skeptical of North Korean diplomatic efforts, was not seen entering or exiting the meeting and was not among those listed as an attendee in a press pool report. Pompeo had already held meetings in New York with Kim Yong Chol and other North Korean officials earlier in the week to discuss plans for the summit. But the top U.S. diplomat failed to secure a definitive commitment from North Korea to revive plans for the summit, prompting skepticism over whether it would truly take place. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was among those to urge caution in dealing with North Korea, advising the president to keep in mind that with such high-profile negotiations, the devil is in the details. “I think for these situations to work, you have to not want the deal too much,“ McConnell said at a political event in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday morning, prior to Trump's announcement. “If you fall in love with the deal, and it‘s too important for you to get it, and the details become less significant, you could get snookered.“ Both Trump and Kim Jong Un hold significant stakes in the negotiations, with the U.S. leader poised to clinch perhaps his greatest diplomatic feat yet if he is able to persuade North Korea to denuclearize.