‘Cannot Be Ruled Out’: Could Trump’s Beijing Visit Open Door To Surprise Kim Jong Un Meet

Last Updated:May 14, 2026, 17:07 IST

According to a senior South Korean foreign ministry official cited by Yonhap News Agency, a summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un “cannot be ruled out”

As US President Donald Trump is in Beijing for high-stakes talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, speculation resurfaced over whether he could make an unexpected stopover for another meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un though officials have said that no preparations appear to be in place.

According to a senior South Korean foreign ministry official cited by Yonhap News Agency, a summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un “cannot be ruled out" but there is currently “almost no preparation" for such a meeting.

Read more: ‘The World Is Special With Two Of Us Together’: Trump Hails US-China Ties At Xi Jinping Banquet

“We shall have to wait and see," the unnamed official told Yongap, noting that while the diplomatic door is not formally closed, there is no visible groundwork for a leaders’ summit at this stage.

No Signs Of A Summit But Trump Factor Keeps Speculation Alive

Trump arrived in Beijing for a three-day visit this week, his first trip to China since 2017, as part of a broader diplomatic push that has included renewed engagement with Xi Jinping. While his schedule is focused on US–China relations, the possibility of a surprise encounter with Kim Jong Un has drawn attention due to Donald Trump’s history of unconventional, last-minute diplomacy. Officials in Seoul emphasised that “unpredictable developments" are always possible when Donald Trump is involved, though they stressed that current conditions do not suggest an imminent meeting.

Read more: Trump’s Bizarre Boast To Prove Close Ties With Beijing: Chinese Restaurants In US

Past Trump–Kim Meetings

Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un last met in 2019 at the Demilitarised Zone separating the two Koreas, in a hastily arranged encounter that followed a public invitation the US President made on social media to “shake his hand and say hello."

That meeting came after three earlier in-person summits during Donald Trump’s first term: Singapore in 2018, Hanoi in 2019 and Panmunjom in 2019. Those meetings ultimately failed to produce a lasting agreement on North Korea’s nuclear programme, but they established a rare personal diplomatic channel between Washington and Pyongyang.

Read more: Trump–Xi Beijing Summit: Five Takeaways From A High-Stakes Push For Stability

Since then, Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in re-engaging with Kim Jong Un, including as recently as last October ahead of his Asia visit.

News world ‘Cannot Be Ruled Out’: Could Trump’s Beijing Visit Open Door To Surprise Kim Jong Un Meet

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