US President Donald Trump is not scheduled to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un while in South Korea next week, a senior US official said on October 24. This comes despite speculation about a potential encounter during the US president’s tour of Asia.
The last time Trump visited South Korea in 2019 during his first term as president, he made a surprise trip to the border with North Korea for an impromptu meeting with Kim Jong Un in an effort to revive faltering nuclear talks.
Now, as Trump prepares for his first trip to Asia since returning to office, there are speculations that he might seek another meeting with Kim during his stop in Seoul.
“The president, of course, has expressed his willingness to meet with Kim Jong Un in the future. It is not on the schedule for this trip,” the senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters in a call, according to AFP.
On October 24, South Korea’s unification minister said he believed there was a “considerable” chance that Trump could meet Kim during his visit. Trump is expected in South Korea on Wednesday, October 29, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum.
North Korea appears “to be paying attention to the United States and various signs…suggest a considerable possibility of a meeting,” Unification Minister Chung Dong-young told reporters.
US media reports have suggested that officials from Trump’s administration have privately discussed the possibility of arranging a meeting between Trump and Kim.
Trump has publicly said he hopes to meet Kim again, possibly this year. Kim, for his part, said last month he had “fond memories” of Trump and was open to talks if the US dropped its “delusional” demand that Pyongyang abandon its nuclear weapons.
Seoul, on October 24, urged both leaders not to let the opportunity for renewed dialogue “slip away.”
“I don’t want to miss even a one percent chance,” said Chung, whose ministry handles relations with the North. “They need to make a decision.”
Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to restore diplomacy with Kim, mentioning his relationship with the North Korean leader and describing him as “a smart guy,”.
Ending his silence on Trump’s outreach, Kim said in September that he held “good personal memories” of Trump and suggested he could return to talks if the US drops “its delusional obsession with denuclearisation” of North Korea.
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