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Trump 'open' to meeting North's Kim during upcoming Asia trip

Published: 25 Oct. 2025, 13:58

LEE SOO-JUNG
[email protected]

U.S. President Donald Trump, right, meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sentosa Island, in Singapore, June 12, 2018. [AP/YONHAP]

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he is “open” to meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his upcoming visit to Asia, which includes a stop in South Korea.

When asked by a reporter during a press gaggle on Air Force One whether there are “any plans” to meet Kim during his stop in South Korea, Trump answered, “I would be open to it 100 percent.”

“He knows I am coming,” Trump said, referring to the North Korean leader. “I got along very well with him, Kim Jong-un.”

Noting North Korea’s poor telephone services, Trump clarified that reporters could report on his remarks, as the internet seemed to play a crucial role in helping him and Kim meet at Panmunjom at the inter-Korean border in 2019. “There were not a lot of ways other than the internet,” Trump said.

Regarding whether to recognize the North as a nuclear power, the U.S. President said the regime is a “sort of” nuclear power. “I know how many weapons they have,” Trump noted.

Regarding the trade deal between Washington and Seoul, Trump said he thinks it is “pretty close to being finalized.” He added that if South Korea is ready, he is ready to sign the trade deal during his trip.

Trump also said he is willing to discuss Taiwan during his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Oct. 30 in Busan, a southeastern port city in Korea. The meeting will take place right before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting the next day in Gyeongju.

Trump departed Washington on Friday evening for his trip to Asia, which includes stops in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, in that order. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will hold a summit with Trump on Oct. 29.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [[email protected]]