Kim ‘receptive’ to idea of meeting at DMZ during South Korea trip – Trump

Kim Jong-un has responded positively to an offer to meet at the border between South and North Korea, Donald Trump has claimed, contradicting reports that Pyongyang is still waiting for the US to extend an official invitation.

“I understand that we may be meeting with Chairman Kim,” Trump said during a press conference marking the end of the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan on Saturday. “Kim Jong-un was very receptive. He responded, so we’ll see.”

Trump is scheduled to fly to South Korea, where he is slated to visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating South and North Korea. The US president signaled late Friday that he was interested in meeting Kim at the border “just to shake his hand and say hello.”

However, Pyongyang is reportedly still waiting for Trump to make the offer official.

“We see it as a very interesting suggestion, but we have not received an official proposal in this regard,” North Korean first Vice-Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said in a statement.

The potential rendezvous comes amid reports that South Korea is working behind the scenes to prepare a third summit between the US and North Korean leaders. Trump and Kim met last in Hanoi, Vietnam in February. The summit ended early after the two failed to reach an agreement on lifting sanctions.

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