President Donald Trump assured South Korea’s president of his commitment to resolving the tensions between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and their southern neighbors.

“The memories of my visit will stay with me, and we are poised to work together. Your nation is under a bit of a shadow, but we are determined to clear it,” Trump remarked to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during a Wednesday night banquet.

That shadow, previously dubbed “little rocket man,” refers to Kim Jong-un, the combative head of North Korea.

“Your neighbor hasn’t been as friendly as they could be, but I’m confident they will improve,” Trump added. “I am well-acquainted with Kim Jong-un, and I believe we can reach a successful resolution.”

During his initial term, Trump met Kim on three occasions, making history as the first president to set foot in North Korea during a 2019 encounter in the demilitarized zone at its southern frontier.

Trump has been unwavering in his pursuit of a diplomatic agreement to bring stability to a region unsettled by Kim’s frequent military provocations.

Despite several public offers to meet with Kim on the trip, no meeting between the two materialized, and North Korea has not responded to Trump’s many overtures.  

‘It’s our last stop, so it would be pretty easy to do,’ the American told reports aboard Air Force One on Monday, adding ‘If he’d like to meet, I’m around. I got along great with Kim Jong-un.’

President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the DMZ in 2019. Trump mentioned how Kim was a ‘little cloud’ hovering over South Korea that he will help fix 

Trump repeatedly offered to see Kim on his Asia trip, but North Korea did not respond. Instead, it fired missiles off of its west coast on Tuesday, the day before Trump arrived to South Korea 

A man walks past a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a train station in Seoul on October 22, 2025

The next day, just before Trump was scheduled to land in South Korea, North Korean blasted sea-to-surface strategic cruise missiles off of its west coast. It was the country’s second missile test in a week.

Signaling the US’s close ties with South Korea amid North Korea’s saber rattling, Trump announced that the two allied countries had struck a $350 billion investment deal while walking into the Hilton banquet room in Gyeongju. 

‘We reached a deal. We did a lot of different things,’ Trump told reporters while standing next to South Korean President Lee.

The two had just emerged from a two-hour meeting that included leaders from across the Indo-Pacific: Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore all were represented. 

Trump dined with world leaders enjoying a menu that included shrimp and scallop salad, braised short ribs made of US beef on a bed of steamed rice and spinach soybean paste soup, with a gold-adorned brownie and seasonal fruits for dessert. 

Taking his seat next to the South Korean leader, Trump later tossed uncertainty on the deal he just announced, seemingly backtracking a bit: ‘We made our deal. Pretty much finalized, a trade deal, and we discussed some other things having to do with national security.’

It’s unclear whether the deal was actually signed or Trump was speaking loosely about the framework being agreed to, and neither the White House nor South Koreans have given further details on the pending deal. 

South Korea-South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump shake hands ahead of their talks at the National Museum in Gyeongju

Donald Trump announced that the US and South Korea had ‘reached a deal’ on the $350 billion investment announced by the two nations in July. However, Trump later backtracked, saying the deal was ‘pretty much finalized’ 

A framework deal struck between the two nations in late July would help Seoul avoid the worst of the US tariffs by agreeing to invest $350 billion into the US. 

Around $150 billion would go to helping US shipbuilding capacity and the other $200 billion would be cash payments.

At the dinner table the president teased how more deals are expected by the end of the year.

‘We’re over $17 trillion, probably up to $18 trillion of investment,’ he said. ‘We’re close to $18 [trillion]. I think we’re going to be $21 or $22 trillion by the time I finished my first year.’  

‘And there’s never in history, there’s never been anything like that for any country, not even close,’ Trump bragged.