By Trevor Hunnicutt and Josh Smith

(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump made repeated invitations to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as he prepared to visit South Korea this week, with officials in Seoul serving as his cheerleaders.

Publicly, there has been radio silence from the North so far and American and South Korean officials have said there are no concrete preparations underway. Ahead of Trump’s departure from the U.S., North Korea test fired what it said was a new hypersonic ballistic missile.

But Trump has used his swing through Asia to underscore his willingness to meet North Korea’s dictator, hoping to revive the string of summits that the pair held during the president’s first term.

“I just had a good relationship with him,” Trump said on Monday. “I would love to see

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