Trump Considers Meeting Kim Jong Un as Part of Asia Trip Focused on Diplomacy

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US President Donald Trump said he is open to meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his upcoming visit to Asia. Trump commented while in Seoul, as part of his planned tour that includes stops in Japan, South Korea, and China.

The statement comes as Washington and Pyongyang remain at odds over North Korea’s ongoing nuclear weapons programme. Trump said that direct dialogue, if it happens, would aim to “reduce tensions and encourage regional peace.”

Trump’s Asia trip is expected to include a series of high-level discussions, including a confirmed meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea next week. The potential meeting with Kim Jong Un, however, has not yet been scheduled or confirmed by either side.

Officials in Seoul said that any discussion involving North Korea would have to align with international security goals and ongoing efforts to limit Pyongyang’s weapons testing.

Trump’s remarks mark a possible return to the personal diplomacy that defined his earlier presidency, when he met Kim Jong Un three times between 2018 and 2019. Those talks, though historic, ended without a long-term nuclear agreement.

Analysts say Trump’s willingness to reopen dialogue could be aimed at rebuilding trust in a region strained by military tensions and trade rivalries. South Korean officials welcomed the statement cautiously, noting that “direct communication is better than silence.”

As of Saturday, there has been no official confirmation of a new US-North Korea summit. However, discussions during Trump’s stop in Seoul may determine whether such a meeting could happen later during his Asia tour.

The US State Department has not commented on the timing or potential agenda for a meeting with North Korea.

If confirmed, the encounter would mark the first Trump-Kim interaction since 2019, potentially reshaping diplomatic engagement in East Asia once again.