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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.
TRUMP AND KIM JONG UN SHOULD MAKE ‘BOLD DECISION’ TO MEET DURING HIS ASIA TRIP, SOUTH KOREAN OFFICIAL SAYS
“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.”
South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young urged Trump and Kim to “make a bold decision,” according to Reuters, which reported he made the remark to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
A White House official noted Friday that Trump and the North Korean leader met during his first term in office.
“President Trump in his first term, held three historic summits with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un that stabilized the Korean Peninsula,” the official said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “U.S. policy on North Korea has not changed. President Trump remains open to talking with Kim Jong Un, but such a meeting is not currently on the schedule for this trip.”
Earlier this month, a White House official told Fox News Digital that, “President Trump remains open to talking with Kim Jong Un, without any preconditions.”
“President Trump in his first term held three historic summits with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un that stabilized the Korean Peninsula. U.S. policy on North Korea has not changed,” the official added.
NORTH KOREA LAUNCHES BALLISTIC MISSILES DAYS BEFORE TRUMP’S VISIT TO THE PENINSULA
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.
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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.”