South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok says US President Donald Trump believes a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would be “good”.
SEOUL: South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said US President Donald Trump believes a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would be “good”.
Kim Min-seok relayed Trump’s comments after their meeting in Washington, quoting the US president directly.
“Meeting (Kim Jong Un) would be good. It’s really good to meet,” Trump said, according to the South Korean leader.
The US president suggested a potential meeting could coincide with his upcoming visit to China in April.
“But it could happen when we go to China this time, or it might not, or it could even be later, couldn’t it?” Trump reportedly added.
Kim Min-seok told reporters that he and Trump agreed a meeting happening soon would be meaningful.
“What matters in essence is that dialogue or contact takes place, and (Trump) appears firm on that point,” the South Korean prime minister added.
Trump had previously stated he was “100 percent” open to meeting Kim Jong Un during an Asia trip last October.
North Korea’s leader recently said the two nations could “get along” if Washington accepted Pyongyang’s nuclear status.
This follows months of Pyongyang largely ignoring US overtures for renewed high-level talks.
North Korea also recently dismissed South Korea’s latest peace efforts as a “clumsy, deceptive farce”.
The nuclear-armed state has bolstered military ties with Russia and condemned a recent US-Israeli attack on Iran.
Washington has led decades-long efforts to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear programme with little success.
