Trump 'open' to meeting North Korea's Kim Jong Un during Asia visit

By Josh Wingrove

 

Donald Trump said he would be willing to meet with Kim Jong Un if the North Korean leader reaches out during the US president’s three-nation tour through Asia. 

“If you want to put out the word, I’m open to it,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

 

Trump compared his comments to 2019, when he issued a surprise invitation in a social media post asking Kim to meet for a handshake in the demilitarised zone between North Korea and South Korea. The leaders ultimately met, with Trump becoming the first sitting US president to set foot on North Korean soil.

 

 

“You know, they don’t have a lot of telephone service. They have a lot of nuclear weapons, but not a lot of telephone service,” Trump said.

 

The US president also suggested he was open to officially recognising North Korea as a nuclear power over the objections of allies including Seoul.

 

“When you say they have to be recognised as a nuclear power – well, they got a lot of nuclear weapons,” Trump said. “I’ll say that.”

 

US officials have previously said Trump was not planning to meet with Kim during his trip to Asia, which includes stops in Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea.