Featured Image Credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Kim Jong-un, North Korea, Japan, Politics, World News
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: Donald Trump, Kim Jong-un, North Korea, Japan, Politics, World News
Donald Trump has revealed whether he's set to meet Kim Jong Un or not as he continues to travel around Asia.
The president was in Japan yesterday (October 28) and met with the country's first-ever female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi.
Trump received a ceremonial welcome from Takaichi at the Akasaka State Guesthouse, where he seemingly broke protocol.
There were Japanese and American flags put up for the ceremony, but the president simply walked past them. It's reportedly customary for visitors in Japan to bow to the country's flag as a sign of respect.
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Aside from his apparent faux pas, talks with Takaichi went well and they signed a deal on rare earth minerals, reports BBC News.
Trump is now in South Korea, having traveled almost 600 miles from Japan. He won't be traveling to North Korea, however, as Kim Jong Un wasn't overly enthusiastic about hosting the POTUS despite Trump claiming that they have a 'good relationship'.
"Personally, I still have fond memories of U.S. President Trump," Kim said in a speech, according to the Korean Central News, adding: "If the United States drops the absurd obsession with denuclearising us and accepts reality, and wants genuine peaceful coexistence, there is no reason for us not to sit down with the United States."
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Trump has since shrugged off the dig from North Korea. When asked if he was meeting with Kim, he said: "We really weren’t able to work out timing."
Trump added, per Bloomberg: "We have President Xi is coming tomorrow, and was that was something that obviously is very important to the world, to all of us."
The president also seemed unfazed about North Korea doing missiles tests ahead of his trip to South Korea.
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North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said its sea-to-surface missiles fired on Tuesday flew for more than two hours before accurately striking targets in its western waters.
It said the weapons would contribute to expanding the operational sphere of the country’s nuclear-armed military.
Reacting to this, Trump told reporters while onboard Air Force One: "He’s been launching missiles for decades, right?"
While it looks to be unlikely that the president will meet with Kim, Trump said he'd be willing to extend his trip should the North Korean leader find time to speak with him.
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He even suggested sanctions relief could be discussed. Trump did not address if he would follow through with Kim's demand that the US stop its 'absurd obsession' with denuclearising the country, however.