US President Donald Trump may meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his Asia tour next month, Trump indicated while speaking to reporters before departing for Manila and Shenzhen, China, to attend the ASEAN and APEC summits. No official confirmation has been issued regarding the meeting, including its date, location or place in the official schedule.
Trump is scheduled to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Manila, the Philippine capital, on November 16. He may subsequently attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, scheduled for November 17-19. His potential meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping is also expected to draw attention during the visit.
No formal announcement has been made regarding a meeting between Trump and Kim, and it remains unclear where any talks would take place.
Trump has previously expressed interest in talks with the North Korean leader. In August, responding to questions from reporters, he indicated that a meeting with Kim during 2026 was a possibility. According to US media reports, the Trump administration had also discussed a potential meeting between the two leaders.
A report published by The Wall Street Journal in August, citing US officials, said Trump had asked his aides to explore the possibility of arranging a meeting during the autumn. The APEC summit in China was identified as one possible opportunity.
However, neither the White House nor North Korea has officially confirmed any such meeting. The proposed encounter therefore remains a potential diplomatic development.
Trump and Kim held three meetings during Trump's first presidential term. The talks aimed to reduce nuclear tensions and advance prospects for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
In June 2018, the two leaders held their first summit in Singapore. Trump became the first sitting US president to meet a North Korean leader. Both sides committed to working towards denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, although a comprehensive agreement establishing concrete steps to achieve that objective was not implemented.
Their second summit took place in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February 2019. The talks ended without a final agreement amid differences over North Korea's nuclear programme and sanctions.
In June 2019, Trump and Kim met for a third time in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) on the Korean Peninsula. Trump became the first sitting US president to step into North Korean territory. The meeting raised the prospect of resuming negotiations, but subsequent talks failed to make concrete progress on the nuclear issue.
