SOUTH Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok met with US President Donald Trump in Washington to explore the possibility of reopening dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to Yonhap News Agency on March 14.
Prime Minister Kim told Trump that he was the only Western leader to have held direct talks with the North Korean leader and described himself as uniquely positioned to help resolve ongoing issues on the Korean Peninsula.
“President Trump said he was curious if Kim wants to talk to the US or him and asked about my views on that,” Reuters cited Kim telling reporters in Washington.
Although Kim did not disclose the specific proposals he presented to Trump, he indicated that recent statements from Pyongyang suggested that Kim Jong Un might be open to resuming talks with the United States.
“Trump showed much interest in the topic,” Kim added.
Trump met Kim Jong Un for three rounds of negotiations in 2018 and 2019, aimed at improving bilateral relations and establishing a path for North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme.
These discussions stalled after Trump left office.
A South Korean official confirmed the March 13 meeting but declined to provide further details.
Kim’s office in Seoul did not respond to requests for confirmation, and the White House has not issued a statement regarding the meeting, which was not publicly announced.
The encounter took place one day after Kim met US Vice-President J.D. Vance in Washington on March 12.
Kim’s office also highlighted South Korea’s recent legislative approval of a US$350 billion investment pledge as evidence of the government’s commitment to implementing the bilateral agreement.
The office said that Vance welcomed the bill’s passage, emphasising that it created the legal framework necessary to advance the investment deal and called for continued close coordination between Seoul and Washington.
In late January, Trump had threatened to raise tariffs on South Korean goods to 25 per cent, citing delays by Seoul’s legislature in enacting trade measures that had capped US levies at 15 per cent.
South Korea and the United States maintain a close military alliance, hosting more than 28,000 US troops on the peninsula.
Reports indicate that some US missile defence batteries have recently been redeployed from South Korea’s Osan Air Base to bases in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. - March 14, 2026
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