Trump praises Kim as 'very open' 'very honorable'
- 6 years ago
From "fire and fury" and 'Little Rocket Man" to warm words for a former foe.
U.S. President Donald Trump has praised North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as the two countries prepare for summit talks in the coming weeks.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
President Trump,... who used to threaten and belittle North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at every opportunity, went out of his way to praise Kim on Tuesday,... calling him "very open" and "very honorable" ahead of their summit set for some time in May or June.
"Kim Jong-un, he really has been very open and I think very honorable from everything we're seeing."
Trump added that the U.S.-North Korea summit will happen very soon,... and that the North would also like to have the meeting as soon as possible.
At a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron,... Trump again touted his administration's "maximum pressure" campaign against North Korea,... saying the economic and diplomatic sanctions were the toughest the U.S. has ever imposed on any nation.
Asked what he means in seeking the complete denuclearization of the North,... Trump said the answer was "very simple".
"It means they get rid of their nukes. Very simple. They get rid of their nukes and nobody else would say it be very easy for me to make a simple deal and claim victory. I don't want to do that. I want them to get rid of their nukes."
President Trump, who's known to go back and forth on his words,... previously mentioned that he's willing to leave the table during the U.S.-North Korea summit if he's not satisfied with Pyongyang's willingness to denuclearize.
However, President Trump said he believes the two sides have a chance of doing something very special with respect to North Korea,... which would be quote "good for them, good for us, good for everybody."
While the date and location for the highly anticipated talks have yet to be finalized,... observers say Friday's inter-Korean summit should be the stepping stone that moves the Trump-Kim meeting from a strong possibility to reality.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
U.S. President Donald Trump has praised North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as the two countries prepare for summit talks in the coming weeks.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
President Trump,... who used to threaten and belittle North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at every opportunity, went out of his way to praise Kim on Tuesday,... calling him "very open" and "very honorable" ahead of their summit set for some time in May or June.
"Kim Jong-un, he really has been very open and I think very honorable from everything we're seeing."
Trump added that the U.S.-North Korea summit will happen very soon,... and that the North would also like to have the meeting as soon as possible.
At a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron,... Trump again touted his administration's "maximum pressure" campaign against North Korea,... saying the economic and diplomatic sanctions were the toughest the U.S. has ever imposed on any nation.
Asked what he means in seeking the complete denuclearization of the North,... Trump said the answer was "very simple".
"It means they get rid of their nukes. Very simple. They get rid of their nukes and nobody else would say it be very easy for me to make a simple deal and claim victory. I don't want to do that. I want them to get rid of their nukes."
President Trump, who's known to go back and forth on his words,... previously mentioned that he's willing to leave the table during the U.S.-North Korea summit if he's not satisfied with Pyongyang's willingness to denuclearize.
However, President Trump said he believes the two sides have a chance of doing something very special with respect to North Korea,... which would be quote "good for them, good for us, good for everybody."
While the date and location for the highly anticipated talks have yet to be finalized,... observers say Friday's inter-Korean summit should be the stepping stone that moves the Trump-Kim meeting from a strong possibility to reality.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.