U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated that he would be willing to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as rumors swirl of a potential summit during Trump's upcoming visit to South Korea.

Speaking aboard Air Force One en route from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo on Monday, Trump told reporters he would "love" to hold a U.S.-North Korea summit if Kim also wished to do so, according to AFP and Kyodo News.

Trump is currently on a tour of Asia with stops in Malaysia and Japan, as well as South Korea, which he is scheduled to visit from Wednesday to Thursday, ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) summit in Gyeongju.

The U.S. president has repeatedly expressed his interest in another meeting with Kim, most recently suggesting a possible encounter at the demilitarized zone during his upcoming visit.

Asked earlier about such a scenario, Trump said he would meet with Kim if the North Korean leader were to contact him. Trump recalled the two parties' most recent summit in 2019, when he publicly announced his arrival in South Korea via social media.

During the same conversation, Trump referred to North Korea as "a sort of nuclear power," signaling his continued willingness to engage with Pyongyang despite stalled denuclearization talks.