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Trump says he'd like to return to meet North's Kim as he departs South Korea

Published: 30 Oct. 2025, 15:37 Updated: 30 Oct. 2025, 18:57

U.S. President Donald Trump [KIM SEONG-RYONG]

After wrapping up a brief two-day visit to South Korea, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his willingness to return for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Speaking aboard Air Force One on his way home on Thursday, shortly after holding a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, Trump was asked if he had reached out to arrange a meeting with Kim.

Trump said he had been “too busy” to have a chance to meet with Kim.

Calling the U.S.-China summit “the reason we came here,” Trump said that if he had met with Kim, it could have been seen as disrespectful, considering the significance of this summit.

“I was too busy to meet him this time, but I could come back,” Trump said. When asked what he would like to discuss with Kim, he responded, “I know Kim Jong-un very well, we get along very well.”

Trump had expressed his interest in meeting Kim multiple times before the visit. On Friday, before departing on his Asia tour, he referred to North Korea as “a sort of nuclear power,” and on Sunday, he said he would be willing to discuss sanctions against the regime if a meeting were to take place.

On Monday, he remarked, “If he'd like to meet, I'm around. I'll be in South Korea, so I can be right over there.” He also said, “I would love to see him if he wants to, if he even gets this message.”

During his first term, Trump met Kim three times — in Singapore in June 2018, in Hanoi in February 2019, and at Panmunjom in June 2019.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]