Biden says meeting with Kim Jong Un is dependent on whether the North Korean leader is 'sincere' and 'serious'

President Joe Biden said on Saturday that he would be open to meeting with Kim if the North Korean leader was serious about talks about the country's nuclear arsenal.

Biden made the comments during a press conference that followed a bilateral meeting with the South Korean President after he was asked about the circumstances that could lead to a conversation.

The president said that it would depend on whether the leader of North Korea was serious and sincere.

During his first trip to Asia as president, Biden spoke about the importance of diplomacy, a topic that has become a large part of his young presidency. The G7 continued to commit billions of dollars in aid to the Ukrainian government after Russia invaded the country in February.

While US presidents generally have not engaged with North Korean leaders in-person, former President Donald Trump met with Kim and sought to leverage the relationship to create a pathway to North Korea's denuclearization to no avail.

In September of last year, Trump called Kim a "rocket man" and set off a stream of insults between the two men. The president said that his nickname for the North Korean leader was not meant to be offensive.

The Biden administration has tried to have talks with North Korea without preconditions, but they have been resistant to it.

The United Nations Security Council has issued several major sanctions on the country for its missile activities.

Jake Sullivan, a national security advisor to the president, said at the White House on Wednesday that the Biden administration is prepared for a potential missile or nuclear test from North Korea while the president is in the region.

There is a genuine possibility that there will be either a long-range missile test or a nuclear test in the days leading up to or after the president's trip to the region.

North Korea last conducted a nuclear test in 2017, but this year they test-fired a tactical guided weapon system.

The president wants to strengthen ties with South Korea. In a statement, the two countries said they would begin talks to expand the scope and scale of combined military exercises and training on and around the Korean Peninsula.

President Yoon and President Biden agree to strengthen the coordination to complete the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, according to the joint statement.

During his visit to the region, Biden will also visit Japan.