(LEAD) Trump signals uncertainty about meeting N. Korean leader in China next month

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details, background in paras 2, 5-7)
By Chang Dong-woo

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday expressed uncertainty about the possibility of meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in China next month, saying he was not sure whether anyone had requested such a meeting.

Trump made the remarks when asked by a reporter whether he expected to secure a meeting with Kim during his planned attendance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China, scheduled for November 18-19 in Shenzhen.

"Oh, I don't know. I don't know," Trump said at the White House. "I'm not sure that anybody's asking for a meeting."

The president nevertheless emphasized his personal ties with the North Korean leader. "I get along with him very well," Trump said. "But my relationship with Kim Jong-un is very good."

In August, Trump said that he hoped to meet Kim later this year, adding to speculation that he might seek to rekindle his personal diplomacy with Kim that led to three bilateral in-person meetings: the first in Singapore in June 2018, the second in Hanoi in February 2019 and the third at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom.

Last Monday, Trump said that he may meet Kim during his upcoming trip to Asia, adding, "That'll be exciting, won't it? But I get along with him."

Tommy Pigott, spokesperson for the State Department, said earlier that Trump does not view talks with North Korea as a "concession" and is willing to engage Pyongyang if doing so serves U.S. national interests.

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