(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump described North Korea as a “sort of nuclear power” and expressed willingness to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as he began his journey across Asia, which includes a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“Well, I think they are sort of a nuclear power. I mean, I know how many weapons they have. I know everything about them and I've had a very good relationship with Kim Jong Un,” Trump stated aboard Air Force One on Friday, according to an audio recording of an informal press briefing released by the White House.

“When you say they have to be recognized as a nuclear power, well, they got a lot of nuclear weapons. I'll say that,” he told journalists.

“If he'd like to meet, I'm open to it,” Trump added.

The US president departed for Malaysia on Friday to participate in the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur.

Earlier, Pyongyang indicated that a potential meeting could take place if the United States acknowledges its nuclear status, which Kim maintains is “irreversible.”

Trump is scheduled to travel to the South Korean port city of Busan on Wednesday, where he will meet President Lee Jae Myung before giving an address at the APEC CEO luncheon.

Later that evening, he will take part in a US-APEC leaders’ working dinner. The following day, Trump will hold a summit with Xi Jinping.

Widespread speculation suggests that Trump might also meet Kim Jong Un in the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea.

Their last encounter occurred in 2019 during Trump’s first term, when he sought to negotiate a denuclearization deal with Pyongyang—an effort that ultimately failed to come to fruition.

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