Trump's 'I don't know' clouds prospect of meeting Kim Jong-un at APEC

U.S. President Donald Trump cast doubt Monday on whether he would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during next month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China, but experts say the possibility has not been ruled out and a surprise encounter remains within reach.

Asked whether he expected to secure a meeting with Kim on the sidelines of the APEC summit, scheduled for Nov. 18-19 in Shenzhen, Trump gave an equivocal answer. “Oh, I don’t know. I don’t know,” he told reporters, before stressing his personal rapport with the North Korean leader. “I’m not sure that anybody’s asking for a meeting. But my relationship with Kim Jong-un is very good.”

The remarks tempered expectations Trump himself had been building for months. On Oct. 12, he hinted that he might meet Kim during APEC, saying “That’ll be exciting, won’t it? But I get along with him.”

In August, Trump said that he plans to meet the North Korean leader at some point this year. Trump met Kim three times between 2018 and 2019 — first in Singapore in June 2018, then in Hanoi in February 2019 and at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung told reporters Monday that he has no information on any talks between Washington and Pyongyang. South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Kang Kyung-wha said during a National Assembly audit last week that “To our knowledge, no concrete progress has been made yet.”

A Ministry of Unification official said Tuesday that it is “difficult to evaluate or determine the true intent behind Trump’s remarks,” while reiterating that Seoul supports a resumption of U.S.-North Korea dialogue and will continue working toward it.

Experts said Trump’s latest remarks suggest a summit at APEC is now less likely, but the situation remains fluid.

"If you take Trump’s remarks at face value, the likelihood of a summit may have decreased. However, neither he nor North Korea has actually ruled out a meeting," said Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies.

Given the lack of signs of preparations for a formal summit, Yang said a structured summit may not materialize, but a less formal meeting between the two leaders could still happen.

"A meeting, which does not require much preparation or give-and-take, could take place," he said, adding that both sides appear to believe that they would benefit from the meeting.

"Kim wants recognition as a nuclear power and the prestige of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Trump as a global leader. Trump wants to pivot from wartime leader to peace leader — proving he can meet and solve the North Korea problem where no other president could," Yang said.

"If the meeting takes place, it would mark their first meeting in seven years, offering a chance to look back on Singapore and Hanoi and discuss how to restart dialogue."

Koh Yu-hwan, professor emeritus of North Korean studies at Dongguk University, said Kim and Trump could meet outside the APEC venue itself, noting that North Korea is not an APEC member and Kim is therefore unlikely to attend.

"Trump could visit Pyongyang around the APEC summit or the two leaders could meet in border areas near China or Russia,” he said. "If Pyongyang can bring Trump to North Korea for maximum publicity, a meeting becomes realistic — but only under two conditions: an end to hostile policies toward North Korea and recognition of Pyongyang’s nuclear state status."

Given the circumstances, including no meaningful exchanges between the U.S. and North Korea, he expected that Pyongyang may not come forward this time.

"Unless Trump makes a major political decision — such as normalizing relations and recognizing North Korea as a nuclear-armed state — a meeting remains unlikely," Koh said, adding Pyongyang is not in a rush, with China and Russia continuing to provide backing.