Trump says he plans to meet Kim Jong Un this year

President Donald Trump confirmed Wednesday that he intends to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year, disclosing that Pyongyang possesses "57 very powerful nuclear weapons" and describing their personal relationship as a strategic asset. The announcement came hours after the United States and South Korea confirmed they were cutting their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise roughly in half.

A Meeting Takes Shape

Asked by reporters at the White House whether he expected to meet Kim in 2026, Trump replied, "Yeah, I will be." He declined to confirm whether he was exchanging letters with Kim but said, "I know Kim Jong Un very well, and he's going to be fine."newscord+1

The Wall Street Journal News Corp ↗ 0.57% reported earlier that Trump was pushing aides to arrange a face-to-face meeting with Kim during a trip to Asia, potentially in November around the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China. Formal summit preparations have not begun, according to the Journal's reporting, but Trump's desire for another encounter is clear.ynetnews

Trump's figure of 57 nuclear weapons roughly aligns with outside estimates. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimated in June that North Korea may have assembled around 60 warheads with enough fissile material for at least 30 more.abc

Drills Cut, Seoul Blindsided

The diplomatic push followed Trump's order to the Pentagon to scale back the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which began August 17 and had been scheduled to run through August 27. South Korea's military confirmed the drill would instead end August 21, reducing it from 11 days to five. Trump had called the exercises "expensive" and said they sent a "totally inappropriate and hostile" message to Pyongyang.newscord+2

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun revealed during a parliamentary hearing that neither Seoul nor U.S. administration officials had been informed of the decision in advance. Despite the surprise, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung struck a conciliatory tone, expressing hope that the personal relationship between the two leaders could advance stability on the Korean Peninsula.ynetnews+1

Kim Yo Jong's Skepticism and China's Arrival

Hours before Trump's confirmation, Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader's influential sister, said she knew "absolutely nothing" about supposed communications between the two leaders and declared that Washington's "hostile policy toward the DPRK has not changed." She nonetheless described the relationship between Trump and Kim Jong Un as "truly excellent."newscord+1

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Seoul on Wednesday for talks with Cho and a meeting Thursday with President Lee. Reuters Thomson Reuters Corporation ↘ 1.73% reported that Beijing reiterated its long-standing call for maintaining peace on the peninsula, with spokesperson Lin Jian saying the political settlement of Korean Peninsula issues "is in the common interests of all parties." Wang pledged that China would "play a constructive role" for peace on the peninsula.reuters+1