In the News

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -

Some state lawmakers have expressed concerns about the lack of details in the agreement between Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump. 

Senator Ed Markey - the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee, which deals with North Korean Policy - had some harsh words from the Senate floor about this meeting, commenting that the loopholes in this agreement are big enough to fly nuclear missiles through. 

Other military experts said though that this agreement is a monumental moment for the Trump administration and our foreign policy.

A historic summit in Singapore with the promise of a denuclearized North Korea begins a new phase of diplomacy between President Trump and Kim Jong Un.  

Many are talking - from members of Congress to those with a military background.

"I think it's a momentous occasion.  It's the first time a sitting U.S. President had met with the Premiere Leader of North Korea," said Lt. Col. Gary Lefort (Ret.) 

Lefort, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, spent his last seven years in the military working at the Pentagon.

"Some will say 'Well, it wasn't specific enough, but that is what follow-on meetings will accomplish on what denuclearization is and ensure it is verifiable and irreversible," Lefort noted. 

Earlier this year, North Korea announced they would suspend tests and has closed down two of its test sites. 

Today, President Trump said that Kim Jong Un told him the country would be shutting down a third test site that tested missile engines.

The meeting, however, has sparked concern from some in Congress. 

Senator Elizabeth Warren said in a statement:

"Yesterday's photo op doesn't change the fact that a nuclear-armed North Korea is a threat to the security of the United States, our allies, and the world. Generations of North Korean leaders have made and broken promises before -- this Administration's success will be judged on whether it can eliminate Kim's nuclear weapons and verify they are gone. We're at the beginning of a diplomatic process that will require patience, experience, and close coordination with our allies. I want to see the President succeed, but a handshake is no substitute for a binding, verifiable deal."

Western Mass News spoke to Rep. Richard Neal, who said that while many would like to be hopeful following the meeting, "I don't think it's a great idea to be calling a brutal dictator a good guy and a decent sort when there are literally tens of thousands of people in North Korea who have been assassinated."

Neal also expressed concerns with the president's decision to suspend military plans with South Korea.