Pence on Trump-Kim summit: ‘It takes courage to make peace’

Vice President Pence praised President Trump on his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his address to the Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas on Wednesday. 

“Anyone can make war, it takes courage to make peace,” Pence said.

{mosads}Pence also touted diplomatic improvements with North Korea under the Trump administration, noting that there have been no missile tests in seven months and citing the inter-Korean peace summits and the return of three U.S. hostages. 

The vice president also paid tribute to the family of the American college student Otto Warmbier, who died last year after being imprisoned in North Korea. 

“Make no mistake about it, the success of this summit and the progress that we’ve made is a direct result of President Trump’s steadfast leadership, and the courage of one American family,” Pence said. 

“Otto’s loss was a tragedy that grieved the heart of this nation, but the courage of his parents in the wake of that loss helped bring us to this milestone,” he added. 

Pence’s remarks come hours after Trump returned from the Singapore summit, which marked the first time a sitting U.S. president met face-to-face with a North Korean leader. 

The president and his North Korean counterpart signed a joint statement on Tuesday indicating a broad commitment for the U.S. to provide North Korea with “security guarantees” in return for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

“President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to [North Korea], and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula,” the statement said.