Former US President Donald Trump has announced his intention to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this year, signaling a fresh attempt to revive stalled nuclear diplomacy. Speaking alongside South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae Myung, at the Oval Office, Trump said he looked forward to renewing direct dialogue with Kim, whom he has met three times in the past.
“I’d like to have a meeting. I look forward to meeting with Kim Jong-un in the appropriate future,” Trump said, adding that he hoped the talks would take place this year. He praised his past relationship with Kim, saying he knew the North Korean leader “better than anybody, almost, other than his sister.”
President Lee expressed optimism about the prospect of a Trump-Kim summit. He called Trump the “only person” who could break the decades-long stalemate between the two Koreas, which have technically remained at war since the armistice of 1953. Lee even suggested the symbolic idea of building “Trump Tower in North Korea” as a gesture of peace and cooperation.
While Trump emphasized that North Korea had launched fewer missiles since his return to the White House, analysts argue the regime has shifted its focus toward supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Thousands of North Korean troops are reported to have joined Russian forces, and Kim has sought closer ties with Moscow. At the same time, Pyongyang has pressed ahead with its nuclear program and condemned joint US-South Korea military drills as hostile.
Over the weekend, Kim oversaw the testing of new air defense systems, underscoring North Korea’s determination to strengthen its arsenal. Despite Trump’s push for renewed talks, Pyongyang has refused to engage in negotiations aimed at halting its nuclear ambitions.
The Oval Office meeting also touched on sensitive issues between Washington and Seoul. Trump made clear he would push for a larger financial contribution from South Korea toward the cost of hosting 28,500 US troops. He even floated the possibility of the United States taking ownership of the land where its bases sit, an idea likely to spark political resistance in Seoul.
“We spent a lot of money building a fort, and there was a contribution made by South Korea,” Trump said. “But I would like to see if we could get rid of the lease and get ownership of the land where we have a massive military base.”
The two leaders also discussed trade and investment. A deal reached in July spared South Korean exports from harsher tariffs, though disagreements remain over nuclear energy cooperation, military spending, and the implementation of a $350 billion South Korean investment pledge in the United States. Trump has often described South Korea as a “money machine” that benefits from American protection while contributing less than its share.
Before the meeting, Trump criticized the South Korean government over its handling of investigations into former president Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted last year. On social media, Trump suggested the situation resembled a “purge or revolution.” He later softened his remarks after his discussions with Lee, calling the issue a “misunderstanding.”
Despite the tense backdrop, Lee emphasized his agreement with Trump on pursuing the “peaceful denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.” He avoided confrontation and instead highlighted his hopes for constructive engagement with both Washington and Pyongyang.
Since Trump’s return to office in January, North Korea has ignored repeated outreach attempts. The potential summit with Kim Jong-un, if realized, would mark Trump’s latest effort to secure a breakthrough in one of the world’s most intractable conflicts. Whether Kim will agree to resume talks remains uncertain, but Trump appears determined to try again.
