President of the United States, Donald Trump, expressed his intention to contact North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un following his return to the White House.
When asked about his plans for Kim during an interview on Thursday and whether he would “reach out”, Trump responded affirmatively.
“I will, yes. He had a favorable opinion of me,” Trump remarked.
Trump and Kim shared an unusually strong bond during the president’s initial term in office, despite the two nations being at odds since the Korean War over 70 years ago. Trump has previously characterized their relationship as “very, very good” and has praised Kim as a “clever individual” in the media.
Throughout his first term, Trump engaged with Kim on three different occasions between 2018 and 2019.
In 2019, he made history by becoming the first sitting US president to visit North Korea since a 1953 armistice effectively ended the Korean War.
Following his re-election in November, Trump’s team stated that they were considering reopening “direct talks” with Kim.
However, Trump’s close bond with Kim has caused tension in the past with South Korea, a US treaty ally, and potentially with members of his own cabinet as he begins his second term in office.
Senator Marco Rubio, Trump’s choice for secretary of state, labeled Kim as a “dictator” during his Senate confirmation hearing and advocated for a “thorough examination of broader North Korean policies”.
