Keio University professor Junya Nishino said Washington and Pyongyang may not be ready to turn a possible Trump-Kim meeting this year into negotiations, casting doubt on prospects ahead of a regional leaders’ gathering in China in November.
Nishino made the assessment to Korean reporters in Tokyo on Oct. 22, Yonhap reported. “I do not think either the U.S. or North Korea is prepared for that,” he said, referring to a meeting that could lead to negotiations. Yonhap said Nishino viewed Trump’s renewed interest chiefly as a matter of personal ties with Kim, rather than evidence of a U.S. negotiating strategy.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting is scheduled for Nov. 18-19 in Shenzhen, China. The schedule does not announce a bilateral meeting between Trump and Kim.
Reuters reported on Oct. 23, citing five people familiar with the matter, that North Korea had not responded to Washington’s approach about a possible meeting and officials saw the chances fading. The news agency also quoted a White House official saying there was no meeting to announce at that time. Reuters said South Korea’s intelligence agency had told lawmakers in late September that it saw a 50% chance of a meeting at APEC.
Trump’s public remarks have shifted. CBS News reported that on Aug. 19, after a reporter at the White House asked whether he expected to meet Kim later in 2026, Trump replied, “Yeah, I will be.” On Oct. 19, Reuters quoted him as saying, “I’m not sure that anybody’s asking for a meeting.”
Trump and Kim met three times during Trump’s first term, Reuters reported, but their meetings produced no concrete results. The Congressional Research Service said their 2019 Hanoi summit ended without agreement over the scope and sequencing of concessions, including North Korean denuclearization measures in exchange for sanctions relief. The APEC leaders’ meeting is set for Nov. 18-19; no Trump-Kim session has been announced.
