Donald Trump May Meet Kim Jong Un During Asia Trip
President Donald Trump announced a potential November meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un amid ongoing ballistic missile tests and strained US-South Korea relations.
Donald Trump announced on October 12 that he may meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a scheduled trip to Asia in November. The president described the prospect as "exciting" and stated that he "get[s] along with" Kim.
The potential diplomatic outreach coincides with Trump's attendance at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Manila on November 16 and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen from November 17 to 19. During the latter event, Trump also plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
These overtures follow multiple North Korean ballistic missile launches off the country's east coast on October 12. Simultaneously, the United States faces strained relations with South Korea over a disputed US$54 billion liquefied natural gas investment project in Alaska. Trump has threatened trade penalties against Seoul and previously ordered the Pentagon to scale back joint military exercises after South Korea refused to support US operations against Iran.
