Trump expects to meet Kim Jong Un again this year

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he anticipates meeting again with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this year, a prospect that follows a Wall Street Journal report suggesting such a meeting could be organized soon, potentially around the November APEC summit in Shenzhen, China.

While the White House and Pyongyang have not confirmed any meeting plans, Trump told a reporter at the White House, "Yeah, I will be" when asked if he expects to meet Kim later this year. The Journal reported that Trump plans to attend the APEC summit and has instructed his aides to engage with the North Korean regime in an effort to restart talks aimed at denuclearization.

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Yeah, I will be.

During Trump's first term, the two leaders met three times to discuss denuclearization, but these summits yielded little progress. North Korea has since expanded its nuclear weapons program, and analysts estimate the regime possesses dozens of nuclear warheads. Trump himself stated that North Korea now has 57 such weapons, lamenting that their development should have been prevented.

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I get along with him. And you know what, the fact that I get along with him, that's a good thing, not a bad thing. He has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons. Should have never allowed it to happen. They should have never allowed it. If I were president, I wouldn't have allowed it. But he's got them.

Trump expressed confidence in his relationship with Kim, stating, "I get along with him. And you know what, the fact that I get along with him, that's a good thing, not a bad thing." He acknowledged Kim's nuclear arsenal, adding, "He has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons. Should have never allowed it to happen. They should have never allowed it. If I were president, I wouldn't have allowed it. But he's got them."

Kim, however, has indicated a desire for the U.S. and the international community to recognize North Korea as a nuclear power, ruling out talks based on denuclearization. Trump's apparent push to rekindle direct talks comes after his decision to reduce U.S. troop participation in joint military drills with South Korea. He described the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise as sending a "totally inappropriate and hostile signal" to the North, linking the decision to scale back participation to his "very good relationship with" Kim. The exercises, typically lasting 10 days, were halved this year on Trump's orders, raising concerns among U.S. allies in the region.

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totally inappropriate and hostile signal