CNN: White House discusses Trump's meeting with Kim Jong-un during trip to Asia

United States President Donald Trump may meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un during his trip to Asia in November. The news was reported by CNN, citing unnamed sources familiar with the discussions.

Trump administration officials have privately discussed organizing a meeting during Trump's visit to Asia next month, although many are skeptical that it will eventually happen, the people said.

Officials have not yet done the serious logistical planning necessary to organize such a visit, they added, pointing out that there has been none of the contact between Washington and Pyongyang that Trump sometimes maintained during his first term.

Trump's initial request to the North Korean dictator earlier this year went unanswered because the North Koreans did not accept the letter, two people familiar with the matter told CNN.

As part of the upcoming trip, the White House was much more focused on organizing a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping amid escalating trade tensions between the US and China, according to.

However, Trump has publicly and privately expressed a desire to meet with the DPRK dictator, and officials have left open the possibility of a meeting during his trip to Asia.

During Trump's first term, officials organized a handshake between the two in the Korean demilitarized zone less than 48 hours after the US president posted an invitation to meet on social media. Journalists noted that this is an example of how quickly things can change.

Trump's personal interest in a possible meeting with Kim initially arose after he hosted South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at the White House in August, according to sources.

During their meeting, Lee formally invited Trump to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in South Korea and suggested that this meeting could provide Trump with an opportunity to meet with the DPRK dictator. Trump was open to the idea, telling Lee that he would consider it. Kim also expressed his willingness to meet with the US leader.

A South Korean government source said that although the White House security team made two trips to their country to scout locations before Trump's arrival, neither trip was to the Panmunjom border crossing.

• On September 15, the DPRK said that the country will never give up nuclear weapons, because they are "an inevitable option for reliable defense." Pyongyang called such statements by the US a "gross political provocation".
• On September 22, Kim said that he had no reason to avoid dialogue with the US, provided that Washington stops insisting on denuclearization.