‘The Philippine economy will benefit as well with increased two-way trade with the two Koreas for now — and even with a unified Korea in the future.’

We join the rest of the world in welcoming the outcome of the meeting in Singapore between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last Tuesday (June 12).

We believe this historic meeting, the first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader, moves us one step closer to peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and in this part of the Pacific Ocean.

The most important agreement reached during the summit was “complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.” This, according to observers, differed from the Trump administration’s original goal, which was North Korea’s complete, irreversible and verifiable denuclearization.

The agreement offered no details, no timeline and no new commitments. Just the same, the summit can be considered the start of what is likely to be a difficult and drawn-out negotiation process, where the hard work begins.

Trump also promised to suspend military exercises in South Korea. This has long been sought by Pyongyang, which claims the drills are a rehearsal for invasion. The US has deployed around 30,000 troops in South Korea at present to protect it from its neighbor.

The two leaders agreed to recover and return the remains of US soldiers from the Korean War, which will bring closure to thousands of American families who lost their loved ones during the Korean War in the early 1950s.

Trump said in the press conference after the summit that he raised the issue of human rights with Kim. But it appears that the joint statement did not touch on this point. The North Korean regime has been accused of widespread human rights abuses, including the imprisonment of many of Kim’s critics.

The two leaders expressed optimism throughout roughly five hours of talks, with Trump thanking Kim afterward “for taking the first bold step toward a bright new future for his people.”

Trump and Kim likewise pledged to “build a lasting and stable peace regime” on the Korean Peninsula.

The optimistic mood during the summit contrasted sharply with the situation from less than a year ago, when Trump was threatening “fire and fury” against Kim, who in turn slammed the American president as a “mentally deranged US dotard.”

North Korea has for years faced crippling diplomatic and economic sanctions as it developed its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. But Trump said the sanctions will remain in place until North Korea denuclearizes.

How will the Trump-Kim summit and its prospects for peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula affect the Philippines?

We know that there are thousands of Filipinos in South Korea and Japan. With denuclearization, our fellow Filipinos can live and work there safe and secure from war and the threat of war.

The Philippine economy will benefit as well with increased two-way trade with the two Koreas for now—and even with a unified Korea in the future.

We can also benefit from increased tourism to and from the Philippines and Korea, especially if the North opens up to the outside world.

While we’re at this, an interesting angle in the recent summit was how the North Korean leader prepared for the Singapore summit, with ample security preparations that appear to reflect deep suspicion about what his enemies are capable of doing.

First, his handlers dispatched decoy planes from Pyongyang to thwart any attempt to attack him while on the way to Singapore.

Second, his retinue packed his own food to prevent any poisoning attempt.

Third, Kim also brought along his own portable toilet. The regime dispatched a commode to “deny determined sewer divers insights into the supreme leader’s stools.”

It is said that Kim did the same thing when he met in April with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the first meeting between North and South Korean leaders in more than a decade.

He also brought his own pens and pencils to the Panmunjom meeting and his staff wiped off anything he touched so as not to leave even a fingerprint.

Kim takes similar precautions during his travels inside North Korea to inspect military bases and state-run factories, since spies might want to examine his bodily waste to check his health condition and to gather data about his physical and psychological state.

Sensible security precautions, or pure and simple paranoia?