US President Donald Trump would also meet with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un on his current trip to Asia. “If he wants, I would like to meet with him,” said the Republican on a flight on his government plane Air Force One from Malaysia to Japan. When asked by a journalist whether he would extend his trip for a meeting, Trump initially said he hadn’t thought about it – but then the next moment he said yes that it would be possible.
So far, Kim Jong Un has not publicly commented on a possible meeting with Trump. According to Oh Hyun Joo, national security adviser to the South Korean government, a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders is “very unlikely” in the coming days.
After his visit to Japan, Trump is expected in South Korea this week, where he wants to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. This is Trump’s last stop before he flies back to Washington on Thursday.
Trump and Kim met several times for talks during the Republican’s first term in office. At the last summit in Hanoi in 2019, Kim left early after a diplomatic scandal. So far, the US government is sticking to its goal of wanting to completely disarm North Korea from nuclear power. The country is subject to far-reaching UN sanctions and additional US sanctions because of its nuclear program.
