Trump teases prospect of summit with Kim Jong Un as soon as next month

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US president Donald Trump has said he might meet Kim Jong Un during his scheduled trip to Asia in November, as the North Korean dictator visited a museum displaying an intercontinental missile that can reach the US.

Mr Trump has again stoked speculation of outreach to the reclusive regime ahead of the his visit to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in China in mid-November.

“I may, yeah. That’ll be an exciting one… I get along with him,” Mr Trump responded to reporters on Monday when asked if he would be meeting Mr Kim during the trip.

Mr Trump has repeatedly expressed eagerness to meet the North Korean leader and repeatedly invoked his supposed bonhomie after becoming the first sitting US president to meet with Mr Kim in 2018. They met twice more before the diplomacy collapsed in 2019.

Pyongyang has not reciprocated Mr Trump’s overtures as the ties between the two countries have remained historically strained.

North Korea has been under UN sanctions since 2006, aimed at halting Pyongyang’s development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

Ties deteriorated sharply during Joe Biden’s presidency, with diplomatic engagement grinding to a halt as Pyongyang accelerated its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

Under Mr Biden, Washington repeatedly offered to resume negotiations without preconditions, but Pyongyang showed little interest in returning to the negotiating table.

Mr Kim was pictured visiting a defence industry museum displaying an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the US, KCNA photographs showed on Tuesday.

Accompanied by his daughter, known as Ju Ae, and ⁠wife Ri Sol Ju, Mr Kim attended the opening of the newly opened Defence Revolution Museum on ​Sunday, ⁠KCNA said.

The museum displayed weaponry developed ‌under Kim’s leadership ranging from drones to the Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

A display in front of the Hwasong-20 launcher appeared to show a multiple warhead design and a ‌world map depicting ranges extending beyond the US mainland ‌to the Middle East, Australia, and South America, said Shin Jong-woo, secretary general of the Korea Defence and Security Forum.

“The exhibition appears intended to highlight the achievements of Kim’s defence science development programme,” Mr Shin said. “It gave the ⁠impression of propaganda aimed at gaining a strategic advantage ahead of potential a North Korea-US summit.”

Analysts said the museum also reflected a broader effort by Mr Kim to elevate North Korea’s weapons displays into lasting symbols of the regime’s military accomplishments.

“By turning what were once temporary weapons exhibitions into a permanent museum, Kim is institutionalising his military achievements and portraying North Korea’s nuclear and missile buildup as a completed and enduring legacy,” said Lim Eul-chul, a professor ‌at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies.

Meanwhile, on Monday, North Korea said it test-fired ​a tactical ballistic missile to confirm the successful technical upgrade of ‌an unspecified key component.

KCNA said the upgrade ⁠marked an important step in improving the performance of all offensive weapons ⁠systems, without providing further details.

South Korea’s military said on Monday that North Korea had fired multiple ballistic missiles towards ‌the sea off its ​east coast. The launch was Pyongyang’s fourth in ‌a month, following Seoul’s recent test of a ​hypersonic missile.

The US president last month downplayed concerns over North Korea’s controversial nuclear programme, when he was asked why Iran could not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons when North Korea already possessed them and continued to expand its arsenal.

“He does not like a lot of other people. I am about the only person in the entire world that he likes, and I like him,” the president said, referring to Mr Kim. “As long as I’m around, he’s going to be fine. You know why? Because he respects me and he likes me.”

“I get a lot of heat when I say that. People say that’s terrible.”

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