Trump Tower in North Korea? South Korea's Lee bets on Trump to resume talks with Kim Jong Un

US President Donald Trump meets with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the Oval Office, at the White House, in Washington, D.C., August 25, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on August 25 said North Korea is waiting for a signal from the US to restart the talks and hoped American President Donald Trump will take it forward.

Lee cited a statement by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, where she described the ties with Trump as “not bad”. Moreover, Lee told Trump that he wants to see a Trump Tower in North Korea one day.

“I look forward to your meeting with the chairman Kim Jong-un of North Korea and construction of a Trump Tower in North Korea and playing golf at that place,” Lee said during his meeting with Trump in White House.

Lee, who was elected as the President in June this year, had promised to improve relationship with its bitter neighbour. However, Pyongyang has repelled any such efforts so far, terming them as “foolish dream”. “Resolving this issue through my engagement is not an easy thing, and the only person that can make progress on this issue is you, Mr. President,” Lee told Trump.

The US President said he would like to meet the North Korean leader this year as South Korea floated the idea of constructing a Trump Tower in the reclusive country if diplomatic relations improve.

“I will say that Kim Jong Un and I had a very good relationship, as you remember, and still do,” Trump said, speaking alongside South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in the Oval Office on Monday. “We can do big progress, I think, with North Korea. Absolutely.”

Asked whether he’d be up for a meeting with Kim this year, the US president said, “Well, I’m meeting a lot of people. I mean, it’s hard to say that, but I’d like to meet him this year.”

The comments come as Trump and Lee held their first summit meeting at a time when tensions on the Korean peninsula have flared.

With Bloomberg inputs