Trump Says Kim Meeting Is Possible During November Asia Trip

President Donald Trump said on October 12 that he might meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his planned November trip to Asia, but did not confirm that a meeting had been arranged or that North Korea had agreed to one. Asked by reporters at the White House whether he expected to see Kim during the trip, Trump replied, “I may.” He added that a meeting would be exciting and said he got along with the North Korean leader. Trump gave no date or venue for a possible encounter. Trump is expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Shenzhen, China, scheduled for November 18 and 19. Any meeting with Kim would require arrangements separate from the APEC gathering. The remarks came as North Korea continued missile activity, underscoring the tension surrounding any prospect of renewed diplomacy. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles on October 12. The military reported that at least one traveled more than 900 kilometres toward waters east of the Korean Peninsula. Japan’s Ministry of Defense also detected projectiles and said they landed near North Korea’s east coast or in the Sea of Japan.