President Donald Trump stated Wednesday that he anticipates meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year, continuing direct diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang.
"I get along with him very well," Trump told reporters during an impromptu White House construction walkthrough. "I expected to meet with him later this year. Yeah, I will be."
The president did not specify a date or location for the potential summit. He also declined to confirm whether he had exchanged letters with Kim.
Trump characterized his personal relationship with the North Korean leader as an asset, referring to Kim as "a very powerful player" and asserting that their ability to get along was "a good thing, not a bad thing."
This statement from Trump comes as North Korea, through state media KCNA, rejected the idea of talks while acknowledging the strong relationship between the leaders. Kim Yo Jong, sister of the North Korean leader, was quoted as saying, "The relationship between the two leaders remains excellent. However, the U.S.’s hostile policies toward the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea haven’t changed."