"I was very friendly with him. He liked me. I liked him. We got along very well. I think he will be happy to see me coming back," Trump said while signing a raft of executive orders on his first day in office, reversing several initiatives by former President Joe Biden including immigration crackdown, withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, and a temporary reprieve to short-form video-hosting service TikTok among other actions.
Trump's comments came in response to a question by reporters about what outgoing President Joe Biden had pointed out as a major security threat to the U.S., suggesting that Trump may seek to reengage in talks with Kim as he begins his non-consecutive second term.
"You have somebody with pretty bad intentions..... although I developed a pretty good relationship with him. But he's a tough cookie," he said.
Earlier some of Trump's picks for key security and foreign policy advisers also hinted at the possibility of recognizing North Korea as a de facto nuclear state.
U.S. Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth referred to North Korea as a "nuclear power," in his written response submitted to the Senate Committee on Armed Services for his confirmation hearing last week.
It remains unclear whether Trump's remarks would signal recognition of North Korea as a nuclear-armed state, which would undermine South Korea's denuclearization efforts and threaten regional security on the Korean Peninsula.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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