“No Meeting Scheduled Between Trump and Kim Jong Un During South Korea Visit, U.S. Official Says:

In a notable development ahead of his upcoming Asia tour, U.S. President Donald Trump will not be meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his stay in South Korea, according to a senior U.S. government official. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made it clear to reporters that while Trump has previously signalled his willingness to meet Kim in the future, no such meeting is on the agenda for this trip. Speaking before his departure for Asia late Friday, President Trump restated his openness to talks with Kim, saying: “He knows I’m going there,” and later aboard Air Force One, he added: “I’d be open 100 percent. I get along very well with Kim Jong Un.” These comments reflect his longstanding willingness to engage with North Korea’s leader, but underscore that logistics or diplomatic timing have yet to align. Meanwhile, South Korea’s unification minister, Chung Dong‑young, had earlier expressed optimism about a possible meeting. He said there was a “considerable” chance that the two leaders could meet while Trump is in the South Korean city of Gyeongju for the APEC Forum next week. Chung urged both sides not to let the opportunity “slip away,” noting that North Korea seems to be watching the United States closely. Despite the hope in Seoul, the White House confirmed that on this trip, President Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping before wrapping up his visit and returning home. The upcoming journey will begin in Malaysia, where the U.S. president is due to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. He’ll be in the company of several high-profile international leaders, including Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa. Trump and Kim met three times during Trump’s first presidency, each time marked by much-fanfare but little lasting breakthrough. In recent months both leaders have indicated an interest in meeting again. Kim stated last month that he was open to talks with Washington—so long as U.S. insistence on complete denuclearisation is eased. He also said he still holds “fond memories” of President Trump. During a meeting at the White House in August, Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae‑myung had both reaffirmed their openness to dialogue with North Korea. Trump said at the time: “Someday, I’ll see him. I look forward to seeing him. He was very good with me … I know him better than anybody, almost, other than his sister.” Lee, in a lighter moment, suggested Trump build a Trump Tower in North Korea so he could play golf there. At the same time, tensions remain in the region. North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles earlier this week, as South Korea prepared to host APEC in Gyeongju. With the prospects of de-escalation and diplomacy still uncertain, the possibility of a summit between Trump and Kim appears to require clearer signals from both sides—and not simply proximity.

NEWS