US President Donald Trump indicated that he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ‘someday,’ after having met him several times during his first term. Responding to a question about whether he would meet Kim again, Trump said, ‘I will see him someday… We will meet at some point,’ just before South Korea’s new president Lee Jae-myung’s visit to the White House. Meanwhile, Trump raised questions about South Korea only hours before his meeting with its new president. On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote: ‘What is going on in South Korea? It seems like a purge or a revolution. You can’t do business there!’ He did not specify what he was referring to. South Korean Justice Minister Chung Sung said he had the impression that Trump and other Washington officials had ‘distorted information’ about President Lee Jae-myung and the ruling party.

This comes amid a severe political crisis in Seoul after former president Yoon attempted a coup against civilian rule by declaring martial law and sending troops to parliament to prevent lawmakers from voting to lift it. Yoon was dismissed in April and imprisoned between January and March, becoming the first sitting president in the country’s history to be detained. He was released due to a procedural error but was re-arrested on July 10 pending charges of abuse of power.