Trump hints at meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
US President Donald Trump has hinted that he may meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a visit to Asia in November. He described the prospect of meeting Kim as an “exciting” opportunity.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump said he could meet Kim. Asked about the possibility of meeting Kim, he said, “Maybe. That would be exciting, wouldn’t it? But I have a good relationship with him.”
Trump is scheduled to visit China on November 18 and 19 to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ meeting in Shenzhen, China. His statement that he is likely to meet Kim during the visit has raised the possibility of resumption of diplomatic dialogue between the two countries.
Trump met with Kim three times in his first term. After their first meeting in Singapore in 2018, the two leaders also met in Hanoi, Vietnam, and the demilitarized region of the Korean Peninsula in 2019. However, the talks between the two countries did not produce the expected results as they could not agree on denuclearization and lifting sanctions.
Earlier in August, Trump had directed the US Department of Defense to significantly reduce joint military exercises with South Korea. He said he had a “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim and expressed dissatisfaction with the cost of the joint military exercises and the message they would send to Pyongyang. Trump had said on the social media Truth Social that the joint military drills were expensive and would send an unfair and hostile message towards North Korea. He said he had instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to reduce the size of the drills because it was too late to cancel them.
South Korea and the United States then held their major joint military exercises on August 21, about
a week ahead of schedule. The Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise, which usually lasts for 11 days, was limited to five days. The exercise includes military simulations based on command posts and ground military operations aimed at countering a potential crisis on the Korean Peninsula. ANI
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