Trump Says He Plans to Meet Kim Jong-un by Year’s End

The U.S. president says he intends to meet North Korea’s leader after Washington scaled back joint military exercises with South Korea, while Pyongyang denies knowledge of recent contacts

President Donald Trump says he plans to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un by the end of the year, signaling a possible return to the personal diplomacy that defined their encounters during Trump’s first term.

Asked by reporters whether he expected to hold another summit with Kim, Trump gave a direct answer: “Yes, I’ll meet him.” He declined to provide details about an alleged exchange of letters with Pyongyang’s leader, instead emphasizing the personal relationship between the two men.

“I can’t tell you. But I get along very well with him,” Trump said. Referring to North Korea’s nuclear arsenal, he added: “He has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons. He’ll be fine.”

Kim Yo Jong says she knows nothing of recent contacts

From Pyongyang, however, came a markedly different account. Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong-un’s sister and a prominent figure in North Korea’s leadership, said she had no knowledge of any recent contact between her brother and the U.S. president.

“As for the recent news coming from Washington about exchanges between the leaders of North Korea and the United States, I know absolutely nothing about it,” Kim Yo Jong said in a statement. She added that it would apparently be the only area of North Korea’s foreign policy about which she was not informed.

She also dismissed Washington’s decision to scale back the scope of its military exercises with Seoul. The move, she said, “does not deserve comment” and is “completely uninteresting.”

U.S.-South Korea exercises to end early

Meanwhile, the United States and South Korea have announced that the Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises will end Friday, earlier than initially scheduled. The drills were originally set to run from Aug. 17 through Aug. 27.

Trump had described the exercises as too expensive and called them a “totally inappropriate and hostile signal” toward North Korea.

A similar situation arose in 2019, during Trump’s first term, when the president met Kim Jong-un three times. Seoul, however, has highlighted a key difference: At that time, the decision on the exercises was made jointly by the United States and South Korea rather than at Washington’s initiative.

The Pentagon, for its part, said the current changes are “adjustments that ensure the fundamental objectives of operational readiness and training are met.” About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea.

For Pyongyang, joint military exercises remain “the most immediate threat” to North Korea. In recent years, the country has also gained military experience through the deployment of troops alongside Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.

China deepens engagement with Seoul and Pyongyang

Trump’s decision on the exercises comes as China intensifies its engagement with South Korea. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi traveled to Seoul, where he met with his South Korean counterpart, Cho Hyun.

“I hope progress in restoring bilateral relations will contribute to peace and stability in the region,” Cho said, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.

Wang said Beijing would “continue to play a constructive role” in promoting peace. The meeting was the first face-to-face encounter between the two foreign ministers since their talks in Beijing last September. Discussions covered China-South Korea relations, the regional situation and other international issues.

China is also looking toward the possibility of a gradual easing of tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

“We also hope that South Korea and North Korea will gradually move toward peace and peaceful coexistence, and we sincerely hope for lasting stability and progress on the peninsula,” Wang said, according to Yonhap.

According to China’s official Xinhua news agency, Wang also said China and South Korea should “demonstrate strategic vision” and work together to promote “healthy, stable and enduring” bilateral relations.

Wang is due to meet South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Thursday. Lee has proposed “multipartite” dialogue aimed at formally bringing the Korean War to an end. Wang is also expected to meet national security adviser Wi Sung-lac.

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(Photo: © AndKronos)