Trump: Kim summit will not take place at Demilitarized Zone

President Trump on Wednesday ruled out the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas as the site for his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Trump told reporters at the White House that the date and place of the meeting would be announced “within three days.”

“It will not be there,” the president said when asked if the talks will take place at the DMZ.

Trump had previously said he would like to stage the high-stakes meeting inside the heavily fortified zone dividing North and South Korea.

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The president tweeted last month that the site may “be a more Representative, Important and Lasting site than a third party country.”

During a trip to Asia in the fall, Trump tried to make a surprise visit to the DMZ but was foiled due to bad weather.

Trump on Wednesday continued to express high hopes for the historic summit, which is aimed at denuclearizing North Korea, but also warned it could be called off at a moment’s notice.

“Everything can be scuttled. Lot of good things can happen. Lot of bad things can happen,” he said, adding, “I think we have a really good shot at making it successful, but lots of things can happen.”

Selecting the site of the meeting with Kim has been a painstaking process for the U.S. and North Korea.

Several other countries have been considered, including Singapore and Mongolia. But Kim is known to have traveled outside North Korea just once since becoming the rogue nation’s leader in 2011, traveling to China in March.

Trump is expected to meet with Kim sometime later this month or in June.

The president spoke Wednesday hours after announcing that North Korea released three Americans who have been detained there, a move the U.S. said was a sign of goodwill heading into the talks.

The release of the Americans came as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Pyongyang to prepare for the high-stakes summit between Trump and Kim.