Trump pledges to end conflict on Korean Peninsula

US President Donald Trump has vowed to work toward ending the long-standing conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

He made the pledge during a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, as reported by foreign media.

“I know that you on the Korean Peninsula are officially in a state of war, but we will see what we can do to settle this,” Trump said.

During the talks in Gyeongju, where the two leaders are attending this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings, Trump acknowledged that Washington and Pyongyang had not yet agreed on a date for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

“I know Kim Jong-un very well. We get along very well. We really couldn't agree on the timing [of our meeting],” he said.

Trump emphasised that he still hopes to hold talks with Kim, whom he met three times in 2018 and 2019 before negotiations broke down over U.S.-led sanctions against North Korea.

“We had a really good understanding of each other,” he added.

The meeting comes amid renewed North Korean missile activity. On October 29, North Korea announced it had fired sea-to-surface cruise missiles into its western waters, highlighting the regime’s growing military capabilities. Trump addressed the launch, noting, “He’s been launching missiles for decades, right?” — referring to Kim Jong Un.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that their military had detected the launch preparations and confirmed the cruise missiles were fired in the North’s northwestern waters around 3 p.m. on October 28.

The joint chiefs said South Korea and the United States were analysing the weapons while maintaining combined defence readiness capable of a “dominant response” against any North Korean provocation.

By Tamilla Hasanova