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During his weeklong trip across Asia, Donald Trump expressed his wish to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, hoping to rekindle the dialogue that had stalled for years. But his overtures were met with silence from Pyongyang — and missile fire instead.
North Korea said Wednesday that it has conducted successful cruise missile tests, the latest display of its growing military capabilities and one that came a day before U.S. President Donald Trump visited South Korea. https://to.pbs.org/3LiSpNg
«I know Kim Jong Un very well. We get along very well. We really weren't able to work out timing.»
On the eve of Trump's arrival in South Korea, after wrapping up his visit to Japan, Kim oversaw a new series of missile tests—a move underscoring North Korea's defiance and signalling that diplomatic engagement remains far from Pyongyang's agenda.
«He's been launching missiles for decades, right?»
-Donald Trump
Ahead of his Asia trip, Donald Trump reiterated his past rapport with the North Korean leader, saying:
«I got along great with Kim Jong Un. I liked him, he liked me. If he wants to meet, I'll be in South Korea.»
Trump once again signaled a willingness to resume talks that have been stalled since 2019.
In another moment, speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One while flying from Japan to South Korea, Trump sought to downplay North Korea's latest missile activity. Asked about Kim's recent weapons tests, he responded casually: «He's been launching missiles for decades, right?»
During his meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in the city of Gyeongju, Donald Trump reiterated his personal connection with the North Korean leader, emphasizing familiarity and mutual understanding despite the lack of direct contact during his trip.
«I know Kim Jong Un very well. We get along very well. We really weren't able to work out timing,» Trump said at the start of the talks, framing the absence of a meeting as a matter of logistics rather than diplomacy — though Kim's silence and the timing of the missile tests suggested he may have deliberately snubbed the American president.
During Trump's visit to Gyeongju for the APEC Summit, thousands of South Koreans took to the streets holding placards reading «No Trump» to protest his presence.
Minutes after saying he doesn't want to meet with Mark Carney, Trump says “I got along great with Kim Jong Un. I liked him, he liked me. If he wants to meet, I'll be in South Korea.”
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