Seoul
US President Donald Trump has expressed his willingness to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un again during his ongoing Asia visit, though Pyongyang has yet to respond. Trump, who is currently visiting South Korea after his Tokyo stop, said he would “love to meet” Kim if the North Korean leader is open to talks.
“There’s been no contact, but he knows I’m visiting,” Trump told reporters. “If he wants to meet, I’d love to.” When asked about potential leverage for negotiations, Trump said sanctions would be his primary tool, calling them “as big as you get.”
The comments came as North Korea test-fired a new hypersonic ballistic missile, underscoring tensions ahead of Trump’s visit. Despite Trump’s openness, US and South Korean officials said no formal plans for a meeting have been made.
Trump and Kim previously held three high-profile summits between 2018 and 2019, but talks collapsed over Pyongyang’s nuclear program. Recently, Kim said he might meet Trump again if Washington dropped its demand for denuclearization, insisting the US must accept North Korea’s nuclear status for “peaceful coexistence.”
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung encouraged Trump to use his visit to re-engage with Pyongyang, while Seoul’s Unification Minister said a response from the North could come within days.
Analysts note, however, that North Korea’s growing ties with Russia and China complicate prospects for renewed diplomacy. The regime recently signed a defence pact with Moscow and sent military supplies to aid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Trump’s renewed outreach marks another bid to revive diplomacy in the tense Korean Peninsula.
