Donald Trump has asserted that he would like to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his forthcoming trip to Asia.
I would. If you want to put out the word, I'm open to it, the US president stated to reporters aboard Air Force One. He reminisced about having a great relationship with Kim.
The former president made history during his first term when he became the first sitting US president to step into North Korea, during their last handshake in 2019.
His upcoming travels to Malaysia and Japan will also include discussions with several world leaders, including China's Xi Jinping, as they navigate trade negotiations resulting from Trump's recent tariffs.
Trump has adopted a unique approach toward North Korea, often characterized as a secretive communist regime that has faced international isolation. Initially, he mocked Kim as little rocket man, yet the two leaders have met face-to-face three times in the past without reaching an agreement on denuclearization. Meanwhile, North Korea has continued to conduct missile tests.
When asked if he recognizes North Korea as a nuclear power, Trump remarked, I think they are sort of a nuclear power... They got a lot of nuclear weapons, I'll say that.
Kim has indicated he remains receptive to meeting Trump again, provided the US retracts its absurd demand for North Korea to relinquish its nuclear arsenal. I still have a good memory of President Trump, Kim mentioned in a recent speech.
South Korea's Unification Minister, Chung Dong-young, noted there is a significant possibility that the two leaders might meet during Trump's visit to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) forum, although a senior US official mentioned a meeting was not on Trump's current schedule. Yet, their previous meeting at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) was initiated through a social media invitation from Trump.
Trump will begin his trip with attendance at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, with plans to arrive in South Korea's Busan on Wednesday, leading up to the Apec summit. He is expected to meet with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who previously discussed the Korean Peninsula’s peace prospects and a potential Trump-Kim encounter in an August visit to the White House.
The backdrop of Trump's discussions with China's Xi also involves a trade war between the two nations, where both sides have agreed to halt proposed tariffs while pursuing a trade deal, though tensions have resurfaced following Trump's remark about imposing a 100% trade levy due to China's restrictions on essential minerals for electronics.
