Accepting South Korean Leader, President Trump Says He Wants To Meet Kim Jong-un This Year

President Trump when accepting President Lee at the White House. (Twitter/@WhiteHouse)

JAKARTA - United States President Donald Trump expressed his desire to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this year, while accepting South Korean President Lee Jae-myung Monday.

President Trump also said he was open to further trade negotiations with the Land of Ginseng, although he made new criticisms of the visiting Asian allies.

"I want to meet him (Leader Kim) this year," Trump told reporters at the Oval Room of the White House when welcoming President Lee.

"I look forward to meeting Kim Jong-un in the future (at the right time)," he said.

Despite reaching a trade deal in July that waived South Korean exports from tighter US rates, both sides remain at odds over nuclear energy, military spending, and details of a deal that includes South Korea's USD 350 billion investment promised in the United States.

North Korea did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's statement. Its state media later said joint US-South Korea military exercises proved Washington's intention to "resident" the Korean Peninsula and target countries in the region.

Since President Trump was sworn in in in January, Leader Kim has ignored repeated calls to revive the direct diplomacy he ran during his 2017-2021 term, which resulted in no agreement to halt North Korea's nuclear program.

"I hope you can bring peace to the Korean Peninsula, the only country divided in the world, so you can meet Kim Jong-un, build a Trump World (real estate complex) in North Korea so I can play golf there, and so that you can truly play the world's historic peace carrier," President Lee told Trump, speaking in Korean.

Meanwhile, President Lee's Office said he and President Trump discussed shipbuilding, inviting President Trump to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit (APEC) in October, and suggested that the American president try to meet Kim during the visit, President Lee's office added.

"Although massive sanctions have been imposed to deter North Korea, the outcome is the development of sustainable nuclear weapons and missiles," President Lee said at an event at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies following the meeting.

He said North Korea now has the capacity to build 10 to 20 nuclear warheads per year, and only needs to perfect the launch vehicle to carry the warhead on its largest ballistic missile to reach the US.