Former U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed interest in meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his forthcoming trip to Asia. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said, “I would. If you want to put out the word, I’m open to it,” adding that he still maintains “a great relationship” with Kim.
Trump made history in 2019 as the first sitting U.S. president to step into North Korea, where he met Kim at the demilitarized zone. The two leaders met three times during Trump’s presidency, though their talks on denuclearization ended without a formal agreement. Since then, North Korea has carried out several intercontinental ballistic missile tests.
The former president’s upcoming tour will include visits to Malaysia and Japan, with scheduled meetings involving world leaders such as China’s President Xi Jinping, amid ongoing trade negotiations tied to U.S. tariff policies.
Asked if he would recognize North Korea as a nuclear power, Trump replied, “I think they are sort of a nuclear power. They’ve got a lot of nuclear weapons, I’ll say that.”
Kim Jong Un has also hinted at being open to renewed dialogue, provided Washington abandons what he described as the “absurd” demand for denuclearization. “I still have a good memory of President Trump,” Kim said during a recent address carried by North Korean state media.
South Korea’s Unification Minister, Chung Dong-young, noted there is a “considerable” chance of a Trump-Kim meeting during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Busan. However, a senior U.S. official clarified that such a meeting is not yet part of Trump’s official itinerary.
Trump’s Asia trip will begin in Malaysia for the ASEAN Summit before proceeding to South Korea for the APEC forum, where he is expected to meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to discuss potential peace efforts on the Korean peninsula. He will also hold talks with China’s Xi Jinping amid heightened trade tensions over rare earth minerals and export restrictions.
The trip underscores U.S. engagement in regional security and trade issues while keeping open the possibility of a high-profile meeting between Trump and Kim Jong Un.
