US President Donald Trump has expressed his willingness to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his forthcoming visit to Asia, hinting at a potential revival of the high-profile diplomacy that marked his first term in office.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said, “I would. If you want to put out the word, I’m open to it,” adding that he maintained a “great relationship” with Kim. The remarks come as Trump heads to Malaysia and Japan, where he will also meet Chinese President Xi Jinping amid ongoing trade negotiations following the imposition of tariffs earlier this year.
Trump made history in 2019 when he became the first sitting US president to step into North Korea, shaking hands with Kim at the Demilitarised Zone. Despite three face-to-face meetings, the pair failed to reach an agreement on North Korea’s denuclearisation, a sticking point that continues to define relations between Pyongyang and Washington.
In recent months, North Korea has ramped up missile tests, heightening regional security concerns. Asked whether he would recognise North Korea as a nuclear power, Trump replied, “I think they are sort of a nuclear power… They got a lot of nuclear weapons, I’ll say that.”
Kim Jong Un, for his part, has signalled openness to another meeting with Trump, provided the United States drops what he termed its “absurd” demand for North Korea to abandon its nuclear arsenal. “I still have a good memory of President Trump,” Kim reportedly said in a recent speech.
South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young noted that there was a “considerable” chance the two leaders could meet during Trump’s stop in South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. If realised, the meeting could mark a renewed chapter in the complex US–North Korea relationship.
