Trump voices interest in potential talks with Kim

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “would be very good,” South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said.

Speaking to reporters after their meeting, Kim said Trump remarked that he “maintains a good relationship” with Kim Jong Un and wondered whether the North Korean leader might be interested in holding talks with either the United States or with him personally.

Trump also suggested that a potential meeting would not necessarily have to coincide with his upcoming trip to China, Kim said. According to the prime minister, Trump noted that such a meeting “could be during the time he goes to China this time, but it might not be, and it could also be afterward.” Kim said the comment underscored Trump’s willingness to pursue a U.S.-North Korea summit even if it takes place outside the timeframe of his planned visit to China at the end of March.

Kim, who is visiting the United States, said he held a 20-minute “surprise meeting” with Trump at the White House at the president’s request earlier in the day. During the conversation, Kim said he presented specific proposals aimed at advancing relations between the United States and North Korea.

However, North Korea on Friday launched more than 10 ballistic missiles into the East Sea while Kim Jong Un and his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, observed the exercise.

The Korean Central News Agency reported that the drill involved 12 launchers of 600 mm ultra-precision multiple rocket systems, also known as the KN-25 super-large multiple rocket launcher, along with two artillery companies. The rockets struck a target 364.4 kilometers away, the report said.

The North Korean leader said the launch would “create anxiety among enemies within the 420-kilometer strike range and give them a clear understanding of the destructive power of tactical nuclear weapons.” The launch amounted to an explicit nuclear threat against South Korea less than a day after Trump extended what was widely seen as a diplomatic overture to Pyongyang.


Oh-Hyuk Kwon hyuk@donga.com