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President Donald Trump said Saturday that he is “open” to meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) while he is in South Korea during his trip to Asia.
“I’d be open to it, 100%. I got along very well with him, Kim Jong Un,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
“They don’t have a lot of telephone service,” the president said. “They have a lot of nuclear weapons, but not a lot of telephone service.”
Trump, who departed for Asia on Friday night, told reporters that they could “put out the word” that he was willing to meet the dictator. The president also responded to a question about recognizing North Korea as a nuclear power.
“I think they are sort of a nuclear power,” Trump said. “I mean, I know how many weapons they have. I know everything about them and I have a very good relationship with Kim Jung Un. When you say they have to be recognized as a nuclear power, well, they’ve got a lot of nuclear weapons, I’ll say that.”
The week-long trip includes stops in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea. Additionally, the White House said that Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.
In 2018, during his first term, Trump and Kim met in what was the first ever U.S.-North Korea summit. The meeting took place in Singapore. A joint statement at the time said that the two leaders “conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new U.S.-DPRK relations.”
A summit between Kim and Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February 2019 ended without the two reaching a deal.
One year later, in June 2019, Trump met Kim again, this time in the DMZ, making him the first sitting U.S. leader to set foot in North Korea. He took 20 steps into North Korean territory during the visit where he shook hands with Kim.
When speaking to reporters in 2019, Trump said he and Kim agreed to revive talks on North Korea’s nuclear program. He said he was not aiming to make a deal fast, but rather to “get it right.”
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