Photo AP
President Donald Trump has offered to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea.
North Korea has described President Trump’s offer as a “very interesting suggestion”.
Donald Trump has arrived in South Korea to discuss the flagging North Korea denuclearization talks.
If Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un were to see each other at the DMZ, it would be their third meeting in just over a year, and their first since a summit in Vietnam broke down in February.
President Trump tweeted: “After some very important meetings, including my meeting with President Xi of China, I will be leaving Japan for South Korea (with President Moon). While there, if Chairman Kim of North Korea sees this, I would meet him at the Border/DMZ just to shake his hand and say Hello(?)!”
President Trump – who is visiting South Korea after attending the G20 summit in Japan – conceded that the pair could see each other only “for two minutes”.
However, despite the apparent lack of any diplomatic preparation, some have suggested another face-to-face meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un could help reset relations and set the scene for future talks.
Only a few hours later, North Korea’s first vice-minister for foreign affairs, Choe Son Hui, said in statement: “We see it as a very interesting suggestion, but we have not received an official proposal in this regard.”
Such a meeting, the statement added, “would serve as another meaningful occasion in further deepening the personal relations between the two leaders and advancing the bilateral relations”.
It remains unclear whether officials with President Trump were briefed in advance about his overture to Kim Jong-un, and South Korea’s presidency said nothing was yet confirmed.
Last week, a South Korean official said Donald Trump was considering a trip to the DMZ, prompting speculation a meeting with Kim Jong-un could be possible.
President Trump attempted to make a surprise visit to the area in November 2017, but was forced to abandon the plans due to bad weather.
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