The Latest: US troop levels in SKorea 'are not on the table'

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. and North Korea (all times local):

10:40 a.m.

President Donald Trump says withdrawing U.S. troops from South Korea is 'not on the table' as he prepares for a historic summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Trump says: "Troops are not on the table."

Trump is addressing a report that he had asked the Pentagon to prepare plans for scaling back the U.S. military presence in South Korea, as he has complained that South Korea does not do enough to financially support that commitment. National security adviser John Bolton called that report, in The New York Times, "utter nonsense" in a statement Friday.

Trump announced Friday that a time and place for his meeting with Kim has been set and will be announced shortly.

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10:20 a.m.

President Donald Trump says the time and place has been set for his historic meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

Speaking to reporters Friday from the White House South Lawn before departing for Dallas, Trump says "we now have a date and we have a location. We'll be announcing it soon."

Trump suggested Monday that he was looking for the meeting to be held at the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas. That's where Kim met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last Friday.

On Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence postponed a planned trip to Brazil at the end of May to free up resources for Trump's meeting with Kim.

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8:12 a.m.

The White House is denying a published report that President Donald Trump is seeking options to reduce the U.S. troop presence on the Korean peninsula.

The New York Times reported Friday that Trump ordered the Pentagon to prepare options for drawing down U.S. troops in South Korea, just weeks before he meets with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. Trump has expressed frustration that South Korea does not contribute enough to fund U.S. forces that bolster its defenses.

National security adviser John Bolton said Friday that Trump "has not asked the Pentagon to provide options for reducing American forces stationed in South Korea."

The White House hasn't said whether Trump is willing to place U.S. troop levels on the negotiating table when he meets with Kim.

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