Trump says he may meet Kim Jong-un at DMZ
OSAKA - US President Donald Trump said here Saturday that he might meet top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong-un, at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) during his visit to South Korea this weekend, although further details have not been finalized.
"I understand that we may be meeting with Chairman Kim and we will find out," Trump told a press conference after the two-day summit of the Group of 20 (G20) in Osaka.
The US president tweeted the invitation earlier in the day, saying he would meet Kim at the DMZ just to shake hands and say "Hello."
Trump said Kim has responded to the offer and was "very receptive" to the idea, and he would feel comfortable stepping across the DMZ into the DPRK.
"I can't tell you exactly, but they did respond very favorably," he told the press.
Choe Son-hui, first vice minister of the DPRK's foreign ministry, said Saturday that the proposed meeting between the leaders of the DPRK and the United States, if it happens, would serve as a meaningful occasion to further deepen their personal ties.
Choe said the meeting as proposed by Trump is "a very interesting suggestion, but we have not received an official proposal in this regard" from the United States.
Kim has held two summits with Trump, the first in Singapore last year and the second in Hanoi, Vietnam in February. The denuclearization negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington have stalled since the Hanoi summit ended with no agreement.