U.S. Embassy in Seoul Eyes Trump Visit to the DMZ — Could He Sit Down with Kim Jong Un Once More?
President Donald Trump may be on the verge of a dramatic new diplomatic gambit: meeting North Korea’s Kim Jong Un again at the Demilitarized Zone. According to fresh reports, the U.S. Embassy in Seoul is revisiting plans for a presidential DMZ visit during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum, reigniting hopes and skepticism alike in global capitals.
The Telegraph broke the news, citing anonymous sources who say that plans are taking shape to position Trump at the heavily fortified border between South and North Korea, echoing the landmark 2019 summit when Trump became one of the very few American presidents to step into North Korean territory.
Diplomatic observers note the move could carry enormous symbolic weight — and peril. Trump’s team has long flirted with reengagement strategies toward Pyongyang, making clear that a high-profile meeting remains on the table. During his first term, Trump and Kim met three times — their most visually striking encounter unfolded at the DMZ in June 2019, when Trump crossed the border for just a moment with Kim in Panmunjom.
But in a twist, North Korea has been sending mixed signals. Kim recently told state media he still recalls “good memories” of the Trump era, though he insisted Pyongyang would never abandon its nuclear arsenal — demanding Washington abandon any precondition of full denuclearization. Some analysts believe the North could be positioning itself to trade optics for leverage in any future talks.
If Trump does make it to the DMZ again, it would likely be under tight security and carefully choreographed to maximize symbolism over substance. The embassy’s revisits of such plans come amid broader signals that Trump is open to resuming talks, despite years of stalled diplomacy and mounting military capabilities in the North.
Skeptics caution that trysts with Kim have historically yielded little concrete progress — those earlier summits crumbled over incompatibility between U.S. demands and North Korea’s strategic priorities. Trump’s 2019 meeting in Hanoi was cut short with no agreement, while the DMZ crossing, though historic, delivered more spectacle than substance.
Still, in the chaotic world of international politics, perception can matter as much as policy. If Trump reappears at the DMZ, shadowing those same steps he took in 2019, it would be a striking reminder that in the realm of diplomacy, momentum is often made in moments of boldness.
As word spreads of a possible Trump-Kim rendezvous, Washington and Seoul will be watching every move closely. Will the world be treated to a repeat of 2019 — or a new chapter in a relationship long marked by both theatrics and tension?
