(ATTN: ADDS more info in paras 5-6, 20-24; CHANGES photo)

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this year, while noting that Pyongyang has 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons, marking the first time he has cited a specific figure for the recalcitrant regime's nuclear arsenal.

Trump made the remarks during a press availability at the White House, a day after The Wall Street Journal reported that he is pushing his aides for a meeting with Kim, which could happen during his next trip to Asia, likely to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit set to take place in Shenzhen, China, in November.

"Yeah, I will be," Trump told reporters when asked if he is expecting to meet Kim later this year. He did not elaborate on his plan to reengage with Kim.

Asked whether he is exchanging written letters with Kim, Trump said, "I can't tell you that."

In a separate press availability later, Trump refused to answer a question about whether his goal in reengaging with Kim is still North Korea's denuclearization, raising concerns that his administration could shift its policy focus toward goals short of denuclearization, such as tension reduction and risk management. The Trump administration earlier affirmed its commitment to the "complete" denuclearization of the North.

"I don't want to talk about that, but I do have a good relationship with Kim Jong-un as you know, you've seen," Trump said. "He didn't like (Joe) Biden. He didn't like (Barack) Obama. He didn't like anybody, but he likes me."

Trump's remarks came amid speculation that he might seek to rekindle his personal diplomacy with Kim, which led to three bilateral meetings during his first term: the first in June 2018 in Singapore, the second in Hanoi in February 2019 and the last at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019.

The speculation has further been reinforced by Trump's recent order to scale back South Korea-U.S. military exercises, a move seen as a conciliatory gesture toward North Korea. Pyongyang has long decried allied drills as rehearsals for war against it.

Observers said that Trump's renewed attention to North Korea might reflect his eagerness to score a major foreign policy coup and burnish his image as a peacemaker as the Iran war has dragged on, keeping energy prices high, particularly ahead of the U.S. midterm elections in November.

Questions linger over whether Kim will respond to Trump's overtures given North Korea's deepening diplomatic, economic and military cooperation with Russia and improved ties with China, both of which have reduced Pyongyang's need for assistance from the United States.

Trump's first press meeting came shortly after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader, said that the North has no interest in the reduction of the ongoing Seoul-Washington military exercise, which she called "unworthy of comment."

But she reiterated that the North Korean leader has "good memories and feelings" about Trump personally, and that the leaders' relationship is still "excellent" -- a remark that appears to leave open the door for the resumption of dialogue with Washington.

During the first press availability, Trump reiterated that he gets along with the North Korean leader "very well."

"You know what? The fact that I get along with him ... That's a good thing, not a bad thing," he said.

Trump revealed that Kim has 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons, saying that such a development should have never been allowed to happen.

He earlier called Pyongyang a "nuclear power," but this marked the first time that he mentioned a specific number for the North's nuclear inventory. Experts have said that Pyongyang might have some 60 nuclear weapons with fissile material enough to build dozens more.

"(If) I was president, I wouldn't have allowed it. But he's got them. I get along with him very well," he said.

He added that he knows Kim "very well," and that "he is going to be fine."

"As long as we have a smart president, he is going to be fine," he said. "If we have a dumb president, then he's probably not going to be so fine."

During the second press availability, Trump reiterated his dislike for South Korea-U.S. military drills aimed at North Korea, which he described as "very insulting to somebody" that he said has been "at least very well-behaved" during his time in office.

"I didn't like the fact that we're doing these massive military exercises ... against North Korea. It was an exercise against North Korea when I'm friendly with him," he said.

"I don't see anything happening for certainly two and a half years. It's not going to happen with me, but I don't see anything happening," he added, apparently referring to the possibility of North Korean provocations.

Then, he reiterated his unease that South Korea has refused to help his administration with securing the Strait of Hormuz.

"I was not happy when South Korea said that no, they're not interested in helping us with the Hormuz Strait, and yet they get 60 percent of their oil from the Hormuz Strait," he said.

sshluck@yna.co.kr

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