Overview
- President Donald Trump told reporters that he expects to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year and confirmed his intent to pursue leader-level diplomacy.
- The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump is pressing aides to arrange a fall summit, possibly at the APEC meeting in Shenzhen, and wants to press Kim on rolling back North Korea’s nuclear program.
- The White House has signaled plans to substantially reduce joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises, a step the administration calls confidence-building but that some defense officials warn could weaken readiness.
- Pyongyang has not confirmed any meeting and Kim Yo Jong said she was unaware of communications between the two leaders, leaving the North’s response unclear.
- U.S. media and entertainers have reacted sharply to the outreach, with late-night hosts mocking the news and shaping public debate over the administration’s approach to North Korea.