During his tour of Asia, U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his willingness to meet with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un on the 24th (local time), once again referring to North Korea as a "Nuclear Power."

This stance, which appears to acknowledge the reality of North Korea possessing nuclear weapons, is interpreted as a move to lure Kim Jong Un into a surprise meeting.

According to White House press pool on the 25th, President Trump, in an interview with the press aboard Air Force One during his tour of Asia, including Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea, responded to the question, "North Korea says it must be recognized as a nuclear power to talk with the United States. Are you open to that?" by saying, "I think they are a kind of nuclear power."

He added, "I mean, I know how many weapons they have, and I know all about them. But I have a very good relationship with Kim Jong Un."

President Trump further stated, "If they say they have to be recognized as a nuclear power, well, I'll say they have a lot of nuclear weapons."

This is not the first time President Trump has used the term "nuclear power" in reference to North Korea.

On January 20th, his inauguration day, in a Q&A session with reporters at the Oval Office, he called North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un a "nuclear power" and said, "I think he'll be happy I'm back."

In March, President Trump again referred to Chairman Kim as a "nuclear power," placing North Korea in a similar category to de facto nuclear states like India and Pakistan.

There are observations that President Trump's remarks reconfirm his perception that North Korea possesses a substantial number of nuclear weapons and that he is facing this reality as it is.

The Trump administration has consistently stated, "U.S. policy toward North Korea remains unchanged." This has been interpreted as an indication that there is no change to the existing U.S. government's principle and goal of complete denuclearization of North Korea.

In other words, the perception of the Trump administration appears to be that while the goal of North Korean denuclearization will be maintained, the reality of North Korea possessing nuclear weapons will be acknowledged as it is.

Concurrently, President Trump strongly expressed his desire to meet with Chairman Kim.

When asked about the possibility of meeting Chairman Kim at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) during his visit to South Korea, he said, "If he calls me, I would do that. When I met him last time (June 2019), I put it out on the internet that I was coming to Korea. If he wants to meet, I'm certainly open to it."

President Trump also told the press, "I'm open if they let me know (that I'm coming to Korea)," adding, "They don't have much phone service over there. They have a lot of nuclear weapons, but they don't have phone service. He probably knows I'm coming (to Korea)."

He emphasized, "There's not much way other than the internet. As you know, they don't have much phone service. But he knows I'm coming. I'm 100% open to it. I've gotten along very well with him."

North and South Korean leaders meet at Panmunjom in June 2019. Yonhap News. 

President Trump's remarks on becoming a "nuclear state" on this day are interpreted as a highly calculated lure to arrange a "surprise meeting" with Chairman Kim during his visit to South Korea (29th-30th) in conjunction with the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit in Gyeongju.

On October 21st, at the 13th session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly, Chairman Kim was reported by North Korean state media as saying, "Personally, I have good memories of the current U.S. President Trump. If the United States abandons its futile obsession with denuclearization and genuinely seeks peaceful coexistence with us based on acknowledging reality, there is no reason why we cannot stand face to face with the United States."

In a situation where Chairman Kim has effectively raised "abandoning denuclearization" as a condition for North Korea-U.S. dialogue, President Trump, while not directly mentioning denuclearization, could be seen as partially responding to Chairman Kim's demand to "acknowledge reality" by acknowledging North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons.

Accordingly, the extent to which Chairman Kim will respond is now a major point of interest, and whether the "surprise meeting" between President Trump and Chairman Kim, which took place at Panmunjom in June 2019, can be reenacted is being closely watched.

Earlier, a senior official from the Trump administration, during a phone briefing with the press on this day, responded to a question about the possibility of President Trump meeting Chairman Kim by stating, "The President has certainly expressed his desire to meet with Kim Jong Un in the future, but it is not on the itinerary for this trip."

However, the official added, "Of course, there could be changes," leaving room for possibilities.

President Trump also stated that he would discuss the Taiwan issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he will meet in South Korea during his Asian tour.

"The Taiwan issue will be one of the topics of discussion at the meeting with President Xi," he said.

President Trump and President Xi are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting in Busan on the 30th, coinciding with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju.

Furthermore, President Trump stated that Jimmy Lai, an anti-China activist and former publisher of Hong Kong's Apple Daily (which ceased publication in 2021), who has been detained for years, should be released.

In other matters, President Trump expressed anticipation for a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during his Asian tour and mentioned the possibility of considering tariff reductions.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, he expressed belief in Russia's willingness to resolve the issue and emphasized his expectation of China's assistance in the peace negotiation process.

President Trump departed Washington D.C. aboard Air Force One on the night of the 24th (afternoon of the 25th, Asian time), and will visit Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea for four nights and five days.

Yonhap News