On the day of the historic meeting in Singapore between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Koreans in Montreal have mixed feelings about the encounter.

Trump and Kim met at a luxury hotel on Sentosa Island, 25 kilometers off the coast of mainland Singapore. The two talked about nuclear weapons and military exercises, plus the ongoing tension with South Korea.

Yo-Han Kim, a McGill student from South Korea, said he feels that the meeting’s impact may not be as profound as North Americans would like to think.  

“My personal opinion is that the Western media is more interested in this than the Korean people,” he said.

Kim also talked about the difference in generations, and how older Koreans may have more antiquated expectations when it comes to the summit.

“The younger generation is more disengaged from the whole process and more concerned with their own lives,” he said.

Evan Chung, however, said that a peaceful dynamic on the Korean peninsula affects everyone, regardless of age. He has been in Canada for the past eight years, and says his time here has altered his view on the conflict in his native South Korea.

“I can actually see this agreement from both perspectives,” he said.

According to experts, the next steps are in the hands of diplomats and policy-makers, who will determine whether the summit will result in any concrete policy changes.

“They will meet and look at the nitty gritty of what it means to take away all nuclear armaments in North Korea and basically stop all military operations with South Korea,”  political scientist Donald Cuccioletta said, warning to approach the meeting with caution.

“What does that actually mean?”

Despite the skepticism, Kim was happy that the summit had an optimistic tone to what’s been a decades-long standoff.

“It’s really hard to imagine because many times it’s come up to this point, and nothing’s happened,” he said.

“It’s a very wanted break in the constant bitterness, but it’s a step to hope.”

“During my lifetime, yes I believe [peace] could happen,” Chung agreed.