Meeting with Kim not on Trump's schedule during Asia trip, but 'things can change': senior US official
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump prepare to shake hands at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone in this June 30, 2019, file photo. AP-Yonhap
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump has no plan to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the current schedule for his upcoming trip to Asia, but "things can change," a senior U.S. official said Friday, noting Trump's openness to reengaging with the recalcitrant leader.
In an online press briefing, the official made the remarks, as Trump is set to begin his two-day state visit to South Korea, Wednesday, on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting set to take place in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
"Obviously, things can change," he said. "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."
He was responding to a question about the chances of a Trump-Kim meeting at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas next week. Trump's planned visit to Korea is part of his Asia trip that will also take him to Malaysia and Japan.
Speculation had persisted that Trump might seek to resume his personal diplomacy with Kim during his visit to South Korea for the APEC Leaders Meeting, as the White House has said that the president remains open to talks with the North Korean leader "without any preconditions."
Adding to the speculation were news reports that North Korean authorities had started cleaning up an area on the North's side of the border village of Panmunjom — a move typically made in preparation for an important event — while a field trip program to Panmunjom will be suspended during the APEC meeting period.
The administration of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has expressed its support for Trump's efforts to reengage with Kim, as it seeks to resume inter-Korean engagement to reduce tensions and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.
During the White House summit with Lee in August, Trump expressed his hope to meet with Kim this year — a move that Lee supported by pledging to become a "pacemaker" to help Trump play a role as a "peacemaker."
Trump held three in-person meetings with Kim during his first term — the first in Singapore in June 2018, the second in February in Hanoi and the third at the border village of Panmunjom in June 2019.