Just as the president of the United States began his tour of Asia, he said he was open to meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, a major step toward a possible revival of high-level diplomacy between the two countries. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump said he would be willing to meet with Kim if the North Korean leader reached out.
“I would like to hear from him. The last time I put it on the Internet that I was coming to South Korea. If he wants to meet, I’m open to that. Absolutely,” Trump said.
The US president continued: “I would. I mean, if you want to make it public, I’m open to it. You know, they don’t have a lot of phone service. They have a lot of nuclear weapons, but not a lot of phone service.”
“I’m open to it. I had a great relationship with him and he probably knows I’m coming. But if you want to show it, I’m open to it.”
Trump and Kim have previously held three high-profile summits during Trump’s first term, and both leaders have recently signaled an interest in resuming dialogue. Also read | Will Trump-Kim Jong-un meet again? US officials are “quietly” discussing the plan during the president’s visit to Asia
During his last visit to South Korea in 2019, Donald Trump made a surprise trip to the North Korean border for an unscheduled meeting with Kim Jong Un in a bid to revive stalled nuclear talks.
In August, after hosting South Korean President Lee Jae-myung for the first time at the White House, Donald Trump expressed interest in meeting Kim Jong-un as well. Meanwhile, Kim Jong-un has indicated that his country is open to further talks if the United States abandons its “delusional obsession” with North Korea’s denuclearization.
But while Donald Trump has expressed a willingness to meet with Kim Jong Un, a United States official said on Friday that the two leaders are not scheduled to meet next week, when the US president is touring Asia.
“Of course, the president has expressed his willingness to meet with Kim Jong-un in the future. It’s not in the plans for this trip,” the senior official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
But there were also reports that the Trump administration and North Korean officials were secretly planning a meeting between the two leaders.
