Trump says he plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this year
US President Donald Trump has said he hopes to hold a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2025.
Source: Trump during his meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, cited by Reuters
Details: Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said, "I'd like to meet him this year. I look forward to meeting with Kim Jong Un in the appropriate future".
North Korean state media responded to the remark by emphasising that joint US-South Korean military exercises show Washington’s intention to "occupy" the Korean Peninsula and threaten countries in the region.
Lee, addressing Trump, said: "I hope you can bring peace to the Korean Peninsula, the only divided nation in the world, so that you can meet with Kim Jong Un, build a Trump World (property complex) in North Korea so that I can play golf there, and so that you can truly play a role as a world-historical peacemaker."
Reuters reported that since Trump’s January inauguration, Kim has ignored repeated calls by the US president to resume direct diplomacy, a policy Trump pursued during his 2017–2021 term and which did not result in a nuclear disarmament agreement.
Lee invited Trump to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in October and try to meet Kim Jong Un during the trip.
He noted that despite sweeping sanctions meant to contain North Korea, "the result has been the continuous development of nuclear weapons and missiles". As Lee said, North Korea is capable of producing 10 to 20 nuclear warheads annually.
Previously: In July, Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s sister and senior propaganda official, openly mocked Trump’s attempts to strip North Korea of nuclear weapons.
Background:
- On 25 August, Trump told reporters he might "someday" meet Kim Jong Un again, saying they "get along very well".
- Trump said in early April that he might contact North Korea "at some point" and reiterated that he had a "very good relationship" with Kim Jong Un.
- After that, the US administration reportedly started talking about what to do next to establish contact with North Korea.
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