Trump says meeting with Kim narrowed down to 2 sites

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that his planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been narrowed to two sites.

Trump spoke in the wake of South Korean President Moon Jae-in's meeting with Kim earlier in the day, during which the two sides committed to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"We're down to two countries as to a site, and we'll let you know what that site is," he said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House.

Trump has said he will meet Kim in May or early June to discuss the denuclearization of the regime. On Thursday he said there were five locations ― and three or four dates ― under consideration. By Friday morning, he said it was broken down to "two or three" sites.

Among the commonly cited possible venues are Switzerland ― where Kim went to school ― Mongolia, Sweden, Singapore and Guam.

Trump said he thinks he has a responsibility to resolve the nuclear issue with the North and believes it is "something I can do for the world."

Asked earlier if he thinks Kim is "playing" the U.S., Trump said no.

"I don't think he's playing. It's never gone like this. It's never gone this far," he said at the top of talks with Merkel. "I don't think it's ever had this enthusiasm for somebody ― for them wanting to make a deal."

Trump claimed the U.S. was "played beautifully like a fiddle" under past administrations as it sent money to the regime in exchange for a freeze of the nuclear weapons program.

"The day after an arrangement was made ― if you call it a deal, I doubt it ― but an arrangement was made, they started with their nuclear weapons again," he said. "We're not going to be played. We're going to hopefully make a deal."

Trump added that it will be fine even if there is no deal.

"We will, I think, come up with a solution and if we don't, we leave the room with great respect. We leave the room and we just keep it going."

Speaking to reporters in Brussels, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo still held out hope.

"Yes, I did get a sense that he was serious," he said when asked about his secret meeting with Kim in Pyongyang over Easter weekend. "The economic pressure that has been put in place by this global effort that President Trump has led has led him to believe that it's in his best interest to come to the table and talk about denuclearization.

"In the event that it fails, respectfully, President Trump will walk away, and then the pressure will remain," he added. "But in the event we reach a resolution, it would be a wonderful thing for the world."

Pompeo has led preparations for the summit since Trump accepted Kim's invitation to a meeting in March. At the time he was director of the Central Intelligence Agency but was later named by Trump to replace Rex Tillerson as secretary of state.

Pompeo was sworn in Thursday. (Yonhap)