President Donald Trump with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Photo / AP
President Donald Trump with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Photo / AP
President Donald Trump told a roaring crowd he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are "in love".
Addressing a packed out arena in West Virginia on Saturday night, he said the North Korean leader had written him 'beautiful letters' while they negotiated the country's nuclear disarmament, said the Daily Mail.
"I was being really tough and so was he. We went back and forth, then we fell in love," he said.
"He wrote me beautiful letters. And they are great letters. We fell in love."
It's the second time this week the US President has gone out of his way to praise the leader he referred to as 'rocket man' on a 'suicide mission' little more than a year ago.
Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump praised Jong-un for his 'courage' in beginning to disarm, and boasted of his success in negotiating a deal between the two countries.
Though the speech was relatively positive, the US leader did end by saying he would not be reducing sanctions placed on the country until it was completely denuclearized.
"The missiles and rockets are no longer flying in every direction, nuclear testing has stopped, some military facilities are already being dismantled," Trump said.
"I would like to thank Chairman Kim for his courage and for the steps he has taken, though much work remains to be done."
President Donald Trump with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Photo / AP
'The sanctions will stay in place until denuclearization occurs.'
On Saturday, the same day as Trump's rally, North Korea painted a less chummy picture of the relationship between the two countries.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho addressed the United Nations and said his country would never disarm its nuclear weapons first if it can't trust Washington.
Ri called on the United States to follow through on promises made during a summit in Singapore between the rivals' leaders.
His comments come as US. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo seems to be on the verge of restarting deadlocked nuclear diplomacy more than three months after the Singapore with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.
Ri says it's a "pipe dream" that continued sanctions and US objection to a declaration ending the Korean War will ever bring the North to its knees.
Washington is wary of agreeing to the declaration without Pyongyang first making significant disarmament moves.
Both Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump want a second summit. But there is widespread skepticism that Pyongyang is serious about renouncing an arsenal that the country likely sees as the only way to guarantee its safety.
