ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: US President Donald Trump has expressed interest in meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his upcoming trip to Asia.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said, “I would. If you want to put out the word, I’m open to it,” noting that he “had a great relationship” with Kim.

Trump and Kim last met in 2019, when Trump became the first sitting US president to step into North Korea during a historic encounter at the DMZ in Panmunjom.

The two leaders held three face-to-face meetings during Trump’s first term but failed to reach a denuclearization agreement.

Since then, North Korea has conducted multiple intercontinental missile tests, according to regional reports.

During his Asia tour, Trump will visit Malaysia and Japan and meet with several world leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping, amid ongoing trade negotiations following US-imposed tariffs earlier this year.

Trump also commented on North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, saying, “I think they are sort of a nuclear power… They got a lot of nuclear weapons, I’ll say that.

Meanwhile, Kim has indicated he is open to another meeting with Trump, provided the US drops its “absurd” demand for North Korea to relinquish its nuclear arsenal.

“I still have a good memory of President Trump,” Kim said last month, according to North Korean state media.