Donald Trump is back to being besties with his North Korean pal – We Got This Covered

In a recent meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, United States President Donald Trump expressed a desire to hold a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this year. As he welcomed the new South Korean president to the White House, Trump affirmed his anticipation of a future encounter with the North Korean leader at an appropriate time. He said, “I’d like to meet him this year. I look forward to meeting with Kim Jong Un in the appropriate future.”

According to Reuters, since the January inauguration, the North Korean leader has not responded to the United States’ repeated attempts to revive the direct diplomatic talks that occurred during Trump’s 2017 to 2021 term in office. Those earlier discussions, however, did not result in a definitive agreement to halt North Korea’s nuclear program. Over the past several months, North Korea’s rhetoric has intensified, with Kim Jong Un pledging to accelerate his nuclear program and condemning the joint military drills conducted by the United States and South Korea.

In a show of military advancement, the wealthy Kim Jung Un recently supervised the test firing of new air defense systems, marking a continued focus on strengthening his nation’s defensive capabilities. The meeting between the two leaders was held in tense circumstances. Before the visit, the United States president had lodged vague complaints on social media about a supposed purge or revolution in South Korea, comments that he later walked back as a likely misunderstanding between the allied nations.

Trump thinks North Korea still wants to be friends

Beyond the initial remarks, significant and difficult issues were on the agenda for discussion. The two countries are continuing to wrangle over a number of issues related to their military alliance and trade, despite a recent trade deal that saved South Korean exports from harsher tariffs. Trump is pressing South Korea on defense spending and the upkeep of the 28,500 American troops stationed there. He also raised a number of investigations in South Korea that he said targeted religious institutions and a military base.

This was a likely reference to the recent police raid on a church headed by an evangelical preacher and a search warrant served on the Korean part of a military base jointly operated with the United States. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung adopted a strategy of deference during his visit, talking about golf and offering praise for the Republican president’s interior decorating and peacemaking efforts.

He indicated that it would be difficult for Seoul to agree to United States demands for increased flexibility regarding the United States military presence, which Washington desires for a wider range of operations, including against China-related threats. Lee’s diplomatic approach underscores his efforts to chart a balanced path of cooperation with the United States while simultaneously avoiding antagonism with China, which is South Korea’s most significant trade partner.

His administration sent a special delegation to Beijing to convey a message seeking normalized ties with China. The South Korean president also plans to highlight some of his country’s promised investments in the United States, including during a visit to a shipyard in Philadelphia. Trump is expected to attend a major economic summit in South Korea at the end of October.