Trump Signals Willingness to Meet Kim Jong Un, Presses South Korea on Trade and Military Costs

President Donald Trump opened the door Monday to a renewed meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, telling reporters he would like to meet with the dictator “this year,” as part of a broader diplomatic and economic push across the Korean Peninsula.

“I look forward to meeting with Kim Jong Un in the appropriate future,” Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae Myung.

The statement marks the latest signal that Trump, now well into his second term, is ready to reignite his signature direct-diplomacy strategy with North Korea, which was abruptly abandoned under Joe Biden’s failed foreign policy leadership.

The move also comes as Trump continues to pressure South Korea to pay its fair share for U.S. military protection and to fully deliver on a $350 billion investment deal made earlier this year. South Korean officials and media outlets had previously attempted to renegotiate terms behind the scenes, but Trump wasn’t having it.

“They had some problems with it, but we stuck to our guns,” he said. “They’re gonna make the deal that they agreed to make.”

Since reentering office in January, Trump has taken a sharp, calculated approach to foreign policy, combining tough tariffs, trade deals, and direct pressure with personal diplomacy. This is the first time he’s publicly floated a new summit with Kim Jong Un since the collapse of Biden’s appeasement strategy, which led to North Korea ramping up nuclear testing and regional threats throughout 2022–2024.

While North Korea hasn’t responded yet, Trump’s previous outreach led to historic face-to-face meetings with Kim unthinkable under any previous U.S. president and helped defuse major flashpoints during his first term.

Trump’s message to South Korea was equally clear: no more one-sided alliances. The U.S. maintains roughly 28,500 troops in South Korea, and Trump is now openly questioning the costs and even ownership of key U.S. facilities like Camp Humphreys.

“Maybe Seoul should give the U.S. ownership of the land where we have the big fort,” Trump said, pressing President Lee in front of the press.

Lee, who represents South Korea’s liberal ruling party, tried to soften the discussion by quoting Trump’s 1987 bestseller, The Art of the Deal, and joking about building a “Trump World” real estate complex in North Korea. But behind the flattery, serious disagreements remain including military “flexibility”, with Trump wanting more freedom to use U.S. troops in the region to deter China, while Lee attempts to balance ties with Beijing, South Korea’s largest trading partner.

Despite the liberal media’s distortions, Trump has continued to prove that his America First doctrine doesn’t mean isolation it means leverage. Under Biden, diplomacy with North Korea disintegrated, alliances frayed, and U.S. credibility collapsed. Trump is rebuilding that by demanding respect, reciprocity, and results.

Trump and Lee will both attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Seoul this fall, where the potential for another Trump-Kim meeting could become real.

In the meantime, Trump is reminding the world that peace is built on strength and strength begins with telling the truth and standing your ground.

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