US officials are considering arranging a meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during Trump’s upcoming trip to Asia, CNN reported Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The report has fueled speculation of a possible encounter in South Korea later this month, when Trump is set to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the southeastern city of Gyeongju.
However, no logistical preparations or direct contact with Pyongyang have begun, according to CNN. It added that North Korea previously rejected outreach from Trump earlier this year.
Trump, who began his second term earlier in 2025, has repeatedly voiced interest in renewing dialogue with Kim.
The idea of a meeting during his Asia trip was first raised in August, when South Korean President Lee Jae Myung invited Trump to the APEC summit during their White House talks.
Trump responded that he would “look into it,” according to people briefed on the conversation.
Trump and Kim have met three times during Trump’s first term – in Singapore in 2018, Hanoi in 2019 and briefly at the demarcation line separating South and North Korea later that year, when Trump became the first sitting US president to step into North Korea.
The summits, however, failed to produce lasting progress on Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
SEOUL DISMISSES IMMEDIATE PROSPECT
The CNN report came a day after South Korea’s ambassador to Washington, Kang Kyung-wha, downplayed speculation about a possible Trump-Kim summit during the APEC meeting.
“President Trump has said he is open to dialogue, and North Korea has also shown an indication (leaning toward dialogue). But there is no sign yet that something will materialize on the occasion of the APEC (summit),” Kang told Korean lawmakers during a parliamentary audit session on Friday.
She added that South Korea continues to monitor related developments while keeping “the possibility open.”
The APEC gathering is scheduled for Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 in Gyeongju, a historic city in southeastern South Korea often called a “museum without walls” for its concentration of UNESCO World Heritage sites.
For this trip, the White House has been far more focused on arranging a meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, as trade tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to escalate.
The White House said last month that Trump remains open to talks with Kim “without preconditions,” a statement that reignited speculation of a renewed push for personal diplomacy.
The reported internal discussions within the Trump administration have not been independently confirmed.
By Sookyung Seo
skseo@hankyung.com
Jennifer Nicholson-Breen edited this article.
