Trump in North Korea: KCNA hails 'amazing' visit

North Korean state media have hailed US President Donald Trump's impromptu visit to the country as "an amazing event".

On Sunday, Mr Trump became the first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea, accompanied by leader Kim Jong-un.

Mr Trump had earlier tweeted asking Mr Kim if he would like to meet while the US president was in South Korea.

On Monday, KCNA carried extensive coverage of the unprecedented meeting.

North Koreans rarely receive news of the outside world, and the heavily controlled media has depicted the US as its most hated enemy for decades.

Images of the US president walking into the North as a friend of Mr Kim will be an extraordinary sight for ordinary North Koreans.

Negotiations over North Korea's controversial nuclear programme have stalled since the second summit between the two leaders ended without an agreement in February.

After their surprise talks on Sunday, they reaffirmed their claims to friendship and said talks would continue through their negotiating teams.

Critics have dismissed the occasion as an act of political theatre which does not make substantial progress towards North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons.

What happened at the DMZ?
Mr Trump visited South Korea at the weekend, following the G20 summit in Japan.

He was scheduled to hold talks about the stalled North Korea nuclear negotiations with South Korea's President Moon Jae-in and to visit the demilitarised zone (DMZ), the buffer area between the two Koreas since the end of the Korean War.

After some very important meetings, including my meeting with President Xi of China, I will be leaving Japan for South Korea (with President Moon). While there, if Chairman Kim of North Korea sees this, I would meet him at the Border/DMZ just to shake his hand and say Hello(?)!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 28 июня 2019 г.

On Saturday, he tweeted a message to Mr Kim, suggesting he could "meet him at the Border/DMZ just to shake his hand and say Hello(?)!"

After a day of speculation and backroom diplomacy, Mr Trump and Mr Moon confirmed on Sunday that Mr Kim had accepted the invitation and there would be a "brief handshake".

They arrived at the DMZ shortly after, and following a brief tour, they and Mr Kim approached the military demarcation line.

"Good to see you again. I never expected to meet you at this place," a smiley Mr Kim told Mr Trump through an interpreter in an encounter broadcast live on international television.

"Big moment," Mr Trump said, "tremendous progress."

Mr Kim invited Mr Trump to step over into North Korea, saying he would be the first US president to do so. The US president then spent a few minutes on the north side, later saying he was "proud to step over the line".

Looking relaxed, Mr Kim then crossed into South Korea alongside Mr Trump and said: "I believe this is an expression of his willingness to eliminate all the unfortunate past and open a new future."

For a brief moment, Mr Trump and Mr Kim were joined by South Korea's President Moon Jae-in, an unprecedented three-way gathering.