Planned Kim summit narrowed down to three or four locations: Trump

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that planning for his next summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is advanced and that "three or four locations" have been short-listed.

Mr Trump said at the White House that the meeting would "probably" not be in Singapore, where their historic first talks took place in June.

The pair discussed ending the reclusive state's nuclear weapons programme and hostilities between Washington and Pyongyang.

Mr Trump said that the summit "won't be too far away," later telling reporters it would take place after the November 6 midterm elections.

He also said that there could "eventually" be a meeting on US soil. "On their soil also," Mr Trump added.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Mr Kim on Monday in Pyongyang to discuss the next summit.

Mr Trump talked of "incredible progress", hailing the absence of missile or nuclear tests this year and the recent return of remains of US service members killed during the Korean War.

Mr Trump said: "I like him, he likes me, the relationship is good."

But experts questioned what Mr Pompeo achieved on his fourth visit to Pyongyang this year.

They said the North Korean leader appeared simply to be repackaging and dragging out past pledges.

Mr Trump noted that the United States had not lifted the "very big sanctions" it has imposed on Pyongyang.

"I'd love to remove them, but we have to get something for doing it," he said.

The UN World Food Program said on Tuesday that the supply of food remained precarious in North Korea, where one in five children is stunted by malnutrition.

More than 10 million North Koreans, nearly 40 per cent of the population, are undernourished and need humanitarian aid, it said.