President Donald Trump said Monday he hopes to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un again this year, telling reporters during a White House summit with South Korea's new president, Lee Jae Myung, that he continues to have a "great relationship" with Kim.
"I'd like to meet him this year," Trump said in the Oval Office alongside Lee. "I have very good relationships with Kim Jong-un and North Korea. A lot of people would say, oh, that's terrible. No, it's good." He added, "I know him better than you do. I know him better than anybody almost, other than his sister. I know him well, and I got along with him."
Lee, who took office in June after a snap election, urged Trump to play a historic role in ending decades of division on the Korean Peninsula. "I hope you can bring peace to the Korean Peninsula, the only divided nation in the world, so that you can meet with Kim Jong-un, build a Trump World in North Korea so that I can play golf there, and so that you can truly play a role as a world-historical peacemaker," Lee said through a translator.
Trump, who met Kim three times during his first administration, said he looked forward to doing so in the "appropriate" future. "We can do big progress with North Korea," he said. He even joked about arranging a meeting between Lee and Kim, asking, "Would you like that?"-a remark that drew laughter in the Oval Office.
The Trump-Kim relationship began with heated exchanges, including Trump calling Kim "rocket man" in 2017, but turned toward diplomacy the following year when they met in Singapore and pledged to pursue peace. A second summit in Hanoi collapsed in 2019 over disagreements on sanctions, and months later Trump crossed into North Korea at the demilitarized zone.
Trump recounted that moment Monday, telling reporters: "I saw more guns in that room than I've ever seen in my life. I looked at the other side and it was the same thing, and yet I felt safe. I felt safe because I have a great relationship with Kim Jong-un."
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Diplomatic Snapshot: Trump-Lee Summit and North Korea
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Meeting Announcement: Trump said, "I'd like to meet him this year," referring to Kim Jong-un, citing his "great relationship" with the North Korean leader.
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Lee's Appeal: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung urged Trump to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula, saying through a translator, "I hope you can... build a Trump World in North Korea so that I can play golf there."
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Past Summits:
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2018: Trump and Kim first met in Singapore, committing to pursue peace.
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2019: Hanoi summit collapsed over sanctions disagreements.
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2019 (later): Trump crossed into North Korea at the DMZ.
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Trump's Recollection: "I saw more guns in that room than I've ever seen in my life... and yet I felt safe because I have a great relationship with Kim Jong-un."
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Trade Deal: Trump noted tariffs on South Korean exports capped at 15%, compared to his earlier threat of 25%. He said Seoul wanted to renegotiate but insisted, "They're going to make the deal that they agreed to make."
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Tensions With Seoul: Hours before the summit, Trump posted on Truth Social that South Korea was experiencing a "purge" or a "revolution." Asked about the reports of church raids, he said, "I don't know if it's true or not."
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Tone Shift: Despite earlier criticism, Trump softened his stance during the summit: "It didn't sound to me like South Korea."
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The summit with Lee also touched on trade. Trump said a recent deal capped South Korea's tariffs at 15%, lower than the 25% rate he once threatened. "I hear they want to renegotiate the deal, but that's OK, I don't mind that," he said. "That doesn't mean they're going to get anything, but I don't mind." Later, he insisted, "They're going to make the deal that they agreed to make."
The meeting came hours after Trump had criticized Seoul in a social media post, suggesting the country was experiencing a "purge" or "revolution." Asked about the comments, Trump said, "I heard that there were raids on churches over the last few days, very vicious raids on churches by the new government in South Korea, that they even went into our military base and got information. They probably shouldn't have done that, but I heard bad things. I don't know if it's true or not."
Despite that criticism, Trump adopted a softer tone during his talks with Lee, saying of the reported raids: "It didn't sound to me like South Korea."
