Exclusive: Trump Pushes for Meeting With Kim Jong Un This Year

President Donald Trump is pressing his administration to explore a potential meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as early as this fall, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

U.S. officials cited by the newspaper said Trump has privately discussed meeting Kim during his next trip to Asia. The trip could take place in November, when world leaders are expected to gather in Shenzhen, China, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

While no formal preparations for a Trump-Kim summit are reportedly underway, Trump's renewed interest signals a potential return to direct diplomacy with Pyongyang. Trump and Kim held three meetings during Trump's first term, including historic face-to-face talks aimed at addressing North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

A White House official said Trump and Kim would meet "at an appropriate time." North Korea's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump said Monday that Kim had responded to his request for a conversation, pushing back against a reporter's suggestion that Pyongyang had failed to respond.

"Kim Jong Un has always treated me with great respect," Trump said, adding that the two leaders had met and spoken on numerous occasions. "I understand him. He understands me."

Trump's comments came one day after he directed the Pentagon to "substantially reduce" planned joint military exercises with South Korea, pointing to the cost of the exercises as well as his relationship with the North Korean leader.

A renewed Trump-Kim meeting could mark another significant chapter in the two leaders' unconventional diplomatic relationship and revive efforts to engage directly with Pyongyang.