‘I could come back’: Trump says too busy to meet Kim Jong Un during South Korea visit

Trump hints at Kim return

US President Donald Trump said he was “too busy” to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his visit to South Korea this week, but suggested he “could come back.”

“I had a great relationship with Kim Jong Un,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “I think if I didn’t get elected… He doesn’t like too many people other than me. I think you’d have had a war.”

Trump’s comments came as North Korea fired surface-to-air cruise missiles just hours before his arrival in South Korea. Ahead of Trump’s departure from the United States, Pyongyang had also test-fired what it claimed was a new hypersonic ballistic missile.

Although Trump made repeated invitations to meet Kim, officials in Seoul confirmed there were “no concrete preparations” for such an encounter. Publicly, Pyongyang has maintained silence.

Trump, however, did not rule out the possibility of future talks. “I was too busy to meet him this time,” he said, “but I could come back.”

The developments come amid renewed tensions on the Korean Peninsula, even as Washington and Seoul express openness to resuming dialogue with Pyongyang.

Trump’s renewed willingness to engage Pyongyang

Trump has used his Asia swing to signal openness to reviving talks with Kim, seeking to restore the personal diplomacy that marked their summits in 2018 and 2019.

“I just had a good relationship with him,” Trump said earlier this week. “I would love to see him, if he wants to, if he even gets this message. We haven’t mentioned anything, but he knows I’m going over there. If he’d like to meet, I’d love to meet him.”

Asked what leverage he could use to bring Kim to the negotiating table, Trump replied, “Sanctions. That’s pretty big to start off with. I would say that’s about as big as you get.”

Kim’s response and regional reactions

Kim Jong Un, for his part, recently signalled a cautious openness to re-engagement. “Personally, I still have fond memories of US President Trump,” Kim said in a speech quoted by the Korean Central News Agency. “If the United States drops the absurd obsession with denuclearising us and accepts reality... there is no reason for us not to sit down with the United States.”

However, there are no indications that formal talks are planned. A US official said a possible visit to the Demilitarised Zone was considered but not scheduled.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has urged Trump to use his presence in Seoul to re-engage Pyongyang. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Trump’s willingness to ease sanctions and his reference to North Korea as a “nuclear power” could serve as an incentive for dialogue.

Analysts note, however, that Pyongyang’s closer ties with Moscow and Beijing may complicate any US-led diplomatic overtures. Kim last year signed a strategic pact with Russian President Vladimir Putin, committing to mutual defence and military support.

(With inputs from agencies)