Trump: "North Korea Has Launched Missiles for Decades"... Hopes to Meet Kim Jong Un Soon

[Gyeongju] —U.S. President Donald Trump stated on the 29th that, regardless of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s recent missile launches, he expects to meet with Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK, in the near future. However, he remained vague about the exact timing of such a meeting.
In response to reports suggesting that the North Korea-U.S. summit had been completely derailed due to the DPRK's missile launches, President Trump remarked, "North Korea has been launching missiles for decades," and added, "I would like to meet with Chairman Kim." He further explained, "Tomorrow, the focus will be on China, but I will meet with North Korea soon." During his visit to the Republic of Korea, President Trump is scheduled to hold a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 30th.
When asked whether he would meet with Chairman Kim during this trip, Trump responded, "I don't know. I think they (North Korea) want it, and I want it as well. But I also want to focus on China. Now, our focus is on China tomorrow (the U.S.-China summit), and I hope that remains the focus." He added, "However, we will return, and at some point, in the not-too-distant future, we will meet with North Korea."
President Trump's remarks suggest that, despite his expressed desire for a meeting, it is unlikely that a summit with Chairman Kim will take place during this Asia tour, which ends on the 30th, especially as there has been no response from the DPRK.
Despite President Trump's repeated proposals for a North Korea-U.S. summit, the DPRK has not responded. Instead, on the 28th, it launched a missile and further isolated itself. On that day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the Missile General Bureau of the DPRK had conducted a test launch of a ship-to-surface strategic cruise missile in the Yellow Sea.
Ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, President Trump, who is visiting the Republic of Korea on the 29th, has repeatedly expressed his willingness to meet with Chairman Kim. However, the DPRK has shown no response and instead demonstrated its rejection by conducting a cruise missile test. The previous day, Chung Dong-young, Minister of Unification (MOU), predicted that the DPRK would announce its position on a possible meeting between President Trump and Chairman Kim within the day.
Chairman Kim did not attend the missile test launch that day. Instead, Kim Jeong-sik, First Deputy Director of the Party's Munitions Industry Department, Jang Chang-ha, Director of the Missile General Bureau, the Deputy Commander of Naval Equipment, and the Chief of Shipborne Weapons Systems Engineering were present. The test launch was not reported in domestic media such as the Rodong Sinmun or the Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS), leading to speculation that the DPRK was intentionally moderating the coverage.
rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter