WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will know next week whether his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will happen as planned.
The June 12 meeting in Singapore was thrown into doubt last week when North Korea threatened to pull out over US demands for "unilateral" denuclearization.
"On Singapore, we're going to see. And it could happen. It could very well happen," Trump told reporters before departing the White House. "But whatever it is, it is. We will know next week about Singapore. And if we go, I think it will be a great thing for North Korea."
US President Donald Trump (AFP-Yonhap)
Trump cast doubt over the date Tuesday, saying "it may not work out" for June 12 if US conditions aren't met.
"Someday a date will happen," Trump said Wednesday. "It could very well be June 12th. Someday a date will absolutely happen."
Trump has been eager to have the meeting amid hopes of a breakthrough in the North Korean nuclear crisis.
Kim proposed a summit in March following months of tensions over the regime's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile tests. Trump accepted the invitation on the spot upon being informed by South Korean officials.
The US president threatened last year to "totally destroy" the regime, leading to fears of an all-out war on the Korean Peninsula.
Pundits say the chances of armed conflict could escalate if the summit goes wrong. (Yonhap)
