Trump Says "Too Busy to Meet Kim Jong Un... Will Come Again"

"If I Had Met Kim Jong Un,
It Could Have Been Disrespectful Given the Importance of the U.S.-China Summit"

On October 30, President Donald Trump of the United States expressed his intention to visit Asia again to meet with Kim Jong Un, Chairman of North Korea's State Affairs Commission.

Donald Trump, President of the United States. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News

President Trump concluded his two-day visit to South Korea after the U.S.-China summit with President Xi Jinping of China. During a brief press conference aboard Air Force One, the presidential aircraft, he was asked whether he had reached out to arrange a meeting with Chairman Kim Jong Un. He replied, "I was too busy, so we (Kim Jong Un and I) did not have an opportunity to talk." He added, "This (the U.S.-China summit) is the reason I came here. If I had talked to Kim Jong Un, it could have been considered disrespectful given the importance of this summit."

President Trump stated, "I will come again. I will come again regarding Kim Jong Un." When asked what he would like to discuss with Chairman Kim, he answered, "I had a very good relationship with Kim Jong Un."

During his first term, President Trump met with Chairman Kim in Singapore in June 2018, in Hanoi, Vietnam in February 2019, and at Panmunjom in June 2019.