Trump may meet Kim Jong-un during his Asia visit

Seoul, October 18 (IANS). The US president may hold a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his upcoming Asian visit. Trump administration officials are preparing for the meeting between the two. This information was given by the Yonhap news agency citing a CNN report on Saturday. Citing officials familiar with the matter, the report said that authorities “have not yet made any serious plans necessary to organize such a visit” and that there has been no communication between Washington and Pyongyang. Trump’s initial talks with Kim earlier this year also remained inconclusive as North Korea refused to accept the letter, the report said. The White House is focusing more on preparations for a meeting between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the visit, although officials have “kept the door open” to a meeting with Kim. Trump’s interest in a possible meeting with Kim first peaked during a summit with President Lee Jae-Myung at the White House in August, according to CNN. During that time, Lee suggested that the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference could provide an opportunity to meet Kim. The APEC summit is scheduled to take place on October 31 and November 1 in the southeastern city of Gyeongju. South Korea’s top envoy to the United States said on Friday there was no indication yet that the US president and North Korean leaders would meet on the sidelines of the APEC summit. Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha made the comments during a parliamentary audit at the South Korean mission to the United Nations in New York. The comments came amid speculation that Trump may hold talks with Kim again during his visit to South Korea for the APEC summit. “President Trump has said he is willing to negotiate, and North Korea has also indicated a tendency to negotiate. But so far there is no indication that anything will happen on the occasion of the APEC (summit),” Kang said during an audit session of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee. “But we are trying to keep an eye on (related) developments while keeping the possibility (of a Trump-Kim meeting) open,” Yonhap news agency quoted him as saying. –IANS KR/ Share this story Tags