WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will reach out to Kim Jong Un again, he said in an interview aired on Thursday (Jan 23), calling the North Korean leader with whom he previously met three times a “smart guy”.
The Republican had a rare diplomatic relationship with the reclusive Kim during his previous administration from 2017 to 2021, not only meeting with him but saying the two “fell in love”.
But his own secretary of state, Marco Rubio, acknowledged at his confirmation hearing that the effort did not produce any lasting agreement to end North Korea’s nuclear programme.
When asked during a Fox News interview if he would “reach out” to Kim again, Trump replied: “I will, yeah. He liked me.”
North Korea says it is seeking nuclear weapons to counter threats from the United States and its allies, including South Korea.
The two Koreas remain technically at war since the 1950 to 1953 conflict ended in an armistice not a peace treaty.
The isolated and impoverished North, which has conducted multiple nuclear tests and periodically test fires missiles from its ballistic arsenal, also likes to tout its nuclear programme as a sign of its prestige.
Washington and others warn that the programme is destabilising, however, and the UN has passed multiple resolutions banning North Korea’s efforts.
Rubio branded Kim a “dictator” during his Senate confirmation hearing earlier this month.
“I think there has to be an appetite for a very serious look at broader North Korean policies,” Rubio said.
