President Donald Trump is pressing his advisers to arrange an in-person meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as early as this fall, seeking to revive the nuclear diplomacy that marked his first term in office.

According to U.S. officials, Trump has privately discussed the possibility of meeting Kim during his upcoming trip to Asia, potentially in November during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ gathering in Shenzhen, China.

Trump’s push comes as diplomatic progress with Iran has stalled and amid warnings from experts and U.S. officials that a new agreement could risk legitimizing the nuclear-armed North Korean dictator without securing meaningful concessions.

Bruce Klingner, a former CIA officer, criticized the approach as “appeasing a dictator based on a mistaken perception that a personal relationship will achieve U.S. foreign policy objectives.”

Independent estimates from arms-control experts indicate that North Korea’s nuclear arsenal may now contain more than 100 warheads, fueled by significant increases in its stocks of plutonium and enriched uranium, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Trump previously sought to meet Kim during an Asia trip last year, but the plans fell through due to logistical difficulties.

More recently, Trump ordered a reduction in a joint U.S.-South Korea military exercise, initially citing his “very good relationship with Kim Jong Un,” although he later said the decision was connected to South Korea’s refusal to assist in opening the Strait of Hormuz.

The South Korean Embassy in Washington said it hopes the “friendly relationship” between Trump and Kim will lead to meaningful dialogue and greater stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Experts warn that Kim would enter any renewed negotiations from a considerably stronger position than during his previous meetings with Trump, having strengthened ties with China, expanded cooperation with Iran and Russia, and sent thousands of troops to assist Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)