Donald Trump met with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House on Monday, with the topic of North Korea at the forefront of discussions as the US president said he'd like to meet with dictator Kim Jong Un "this year."

Trump 'looks forward' to seeing North Korea's Kim

"I have very good relationships with Kim Jong Un and North Korea," Trump told reporters as he sat alongside Lee. He even suggested that he had a better relationship with Kim than almost anyone except for Kim's powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong.

"A lot of people would say, 'That's terrible.' No, it's good," Trump added, recalling meeting with the North Korean leader during his first term.

"In fact, some day, I'll see him," Trump said of a possible second-term meeting with Kim. "I look forward to seeing him."

South Korea's recently elected president told Trump he hoped to expand cooperation on shipbuilding and other manufacturing sectors. Trump said he would have serious discussions with Lee on the US-South Korean trade relationship.

Trump wants US ownership of military base land in South Korea

Meanwhile, Trump also said he wanted the US to take ownership of the land where American bases are located in South Korea. The US president pressed the ally to pay more to host some 28,500 American troops.

"We spent a lot of money building a fort, and there was a contribution made by South Korea, but I would like to see if we could get rid of the lease and get ownership of the land where we have a massive military base," Trump said.

Relations between the two leaders in front of the media appeared friendly, particularly when Lee heaped praise on Trump for his peace efforts.

Trump chides South Korea ahead of meeting with Lee

But Trump struck a very different tone hours before meeting Lee, taking to social media to launch a surprise attack.

"WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA? Seems like a Purge or Revolution. We can't have that and do business there," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

Trump did not elaborate on what he was referring to.

Asked later by a reporter at the White House for clarification, Trump said: "Well, I heard that there were raids on churches over the last few days."

"Very vicious raids on churches by the new government in South Korea, that they even went into our military base and got information. They probably shouldn't have done that," he said.

"I heard bad things. I don't know if it's true or not. I'll be finding out."

The US president did not explain further, but South Korea last month conducted raids on locations connected to the Unification Church.

The church, which was founded by the late Sun Myung Moon — an avid supporter of conservative causes both in South Korea and the US — has also come under fire in Japan and is under investigation for allegedly offering luxury items as part of lobbying efforts in Seoul.

Earlier this year, a Japanese court ordered the Unification Church to be stripped of official recognition, meaning the church will no longer be exempt from taxes and must liquidate its assets.

Edited by: Wesley Dockery