Trump Signals Interest in Meeting Kim Jong-un, Floats Idea of US Taking Over Base Land in South Korea

Donald Trump has said he hopes to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this year, in what could mark an attempt to restart stalled nuclear talks. During a meeting with South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae Myung, at the Oval Office, Trump highlighted his personal relationship with Kim and raised the possibility of the US seeking ownership of South Korean land hosting a major American military base.
Trump, who met Kim three times during his previous term, claimed their relationship was strong and suggested renewed talks could help ease tensions on the Korean peninsula. Lee, for his part, encouraged Trump to pursue dialogue with Pyongyang, calling him the “only person” capable of ending the decades-long standoff between the two Koreas.
The South Korean leader also used the meeting to emphasize peaceful denuclearization of the peninsula. However, Trump made clear he would press Seoul for greater contributions toward the cost of hosting US troops. He suggested that Washington might push to convert the leased land for US bases into American-owned territory—an idea likely to spark political debate in Seoul.
Despite recent trade deals between Washington and Seoul, disagreements remain over defense spending, nuclear energy cooperation, and investment commitments. Trump has frequently argued that South Korea benefits disproportionately from American military protection, and his latest remarks suggest future negotiations could be contentious.
Since Trump’s return to the presidency, Kim Jong-un has largely avoided engagement, continuing to expand his military programs while criticizing joint US-South Korea exercises. Still, Trump insisted he hopes for a meeting soon, describing Kim as a leader he knows “better than anybody, almost, other than his sister.”