Trump says he wants to meet North Korea's Kim Jong Un this year

Soo-Hyang Choi, Bloomberg News on Aug 25, 2025

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President Donald Trump said he would like to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un 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 U.S. 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. Ahead of the meeting, North Korea appeared eager to grab Trump’s attention, issuing a series of provocative statements and testing new missiles. Kim last week called for the “rapid expansion” of his country’s nuclear weapons program, saying the only way to defend the country’s security is to “make enemies afraid” of North Korea.

Trump met with the North Korean leader in person three times during his first term as president, but those interactions failed to convince Kim to curb the development of his nuclear weapons program. North Korea has since rebuffed the idea of sitting down with the U.S. and has emerged as a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, supporting his war on Ukraine.

Lee took office in June with a pledge to improve ties with the North, but Pyongyang has so far shunned such efforts, calling them a “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.

Despite the aggressive rhetoric, Lee said he believes North Korea is waiting for a sign from the U.S. for talks to resume. He cited a recent statement by Kim’s sister in which she characterized ties between Trump and Kim as “not bad.”

“I look forward to your meeting with Chairman Kim Jong Un and construction of a Trump Tower in North Korea, and playing golf at that place,” Lee said. “I believe he will be waiting for you.”