U.S. President Donald Trump said that though he'd been unable to work out the timing of a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his ongoing tour of Asia, he still aims to resume dialogue with the North.

At the opening of his meeting with President Lee Jae Myung in Gyeongju ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) summit, Trump said he understands that the two Koreas are officially at war and that the U.S. would see what it can do to resolve the matter.

Trump said he plans to work very hard with Lee, the South Korean team and others to determine whether they can "do something that makes sense."

The U.S. president stated that he knows and gets along with the North Korean leader very well.

Regarding Seoul's pledged investment in the U.S. shipbuilding industry, Trump called South Korea a master of shipbuilding, adding that the two sides will soon start building ships together and that the U.S. will be on top before too long.