'Great mistake': Pence warns Kim Jong-un not to 'play' Trump at summit

US vice president Mike Pence says it would be a mistake for North Korea leader Kim Jong-un to think he could play President Donald Trump.

Combo image: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and US President Donald J. Trump, and Vice President Mike Pence

Combo image: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and US President Donald J. Trump, and Vice President Mike Pence Source: AAP

US Vice President Mike Pence has warned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un not to "play" President Donald Trump if they meet at a proposed June 12 summit.

"It would be a great mistake for Kim Jong-un to think he could play Donald Trump," Pence said in a Fox News interview.

The comments come amid growing concerns that the meeting could become an embarrassing failure for President Trump if he does not achieve his goal of getting North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons.

Pence added that there was "no question" that Trump was prepared to walk away from the meeting set to be held in Singapore.

"I don't think President Trump is thinking about public relations, he's thinking about peace," he said.

North Korea last week said it would walk away from the landmark summit if the US insisted on its complete denuclearisation.

Trump, who firmly believes in his ability to strike major deals, has reportedly been asking advisors and allies whether he should still attend the summit in the wake of North Korea's dramatic change of tone.

He is expected to discuss the meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae In who is due to visit the White House on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, Trump told reporters "everyone thinks" he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, but insisted the prize he wanted was a "victory for the world."

The possibility of a Trump-Kim meeting was first made public in March by South Korean officials during a Washington visit.


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