Trump praises Kim as 'very open,' 'very honorable': Yonhap

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump praised North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for being "very open" and "very honorable" ahead of their potential meeting in May or June. Trump made the remark as he prepares to sit down with Kim to talk about the denuclearization of the regime.

"We are going to be having a meeting with Kim Jong-un, and that will be very soon," Trump said at the start of talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House. "We have been told directly that they would like to have the meeting as soon as possible and we think that's a great thing for the world."

The North Korean leader has expressed a commitment to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, and Trump has agreed to meet Kim in May or early June. The two sides have been having "very good" discussions, Trump said. "Kim Jong-un -- he really has been very open and, I think, very honorable from everything we're seeing."

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 country.

"So we'll see where that all goes. Maybe it'll be wonderful, maybe it won't," Trump said. "If it's not going to be fair and reasonable and good, I will, unlike past administrations, I will leave the table. But I think we have a chance of doing something very special with respect to North Korea -- good for them, good for us, good for everybody."

Asked what he means in seeking the complete denuclearization of North Korea, Trump said it is "very simple." "It means they get rid of their nukes," he told reporters at a joint press conference with Macron after their talks. "They get rid of their nukes and nobody else would say it. It would 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."

Trump also claimed there has been no talk of concessions to North Korea in the negotiations. "I haven't even discussed a concession other than the fact that meeting is a great thing," he said.
(Yonhap)
Lim Chang-won Reporter cwlim34@ajunews.com

Lim Chang-won cwlim34@ajunews.com

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