Trump Confident Kim Jong-Un ‘Does Not Want To Break His Promise’ Following North Korea Missile Launch
On Saturday, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to reaffirm his confidence in the Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, and his commitment to a nuclear deal. The comments come not long after North Korea fired a barrage of unidentified short-range missiles from its eastern coast the same day, which marks the nation’s first tests of this nature in more than a year.
But despite the tests, Trump is still confident that Kim will not do anything to destroy relations between the United States and his country, per USA Today.
“Anything in this very interesting world is possible, but I believe that Kim Jong Un fully realizes the great economic potential of North Korea, & will do nothing to interfere or end it. He also knows that I am with him & does not want to break his promise to me. Deal will happen!”
As of now, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff are analyzing the launch to determine the type of missiles that were used. They reportedly flew 125 miles toward the ocean before they landed in the water. If they are determined to be banned ballistic missiles, it would be the first time North Korea has launched them since November 2017.
The launch took place less than three months following Trump and Kim’s meeting in Hanoi to discuss denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, which ended without an agreement on either denuclearization or sanctions relief.
Trump confident "deal will happen" with Kim Jong Un despite North Korea projectile launchhttps://t.co/6juGm8bYZ1 pic.twitter.com/GZyzzVSxLR
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) May 4, 2019
Despite Trump’s confidence, not everyone is as content. Harry Kazianis of the conservative think tank National Interest believes that the launch is a sign that “North Korea is angry” about the Trump administration’s “lack of flexibility” on sanctions, following the February summit between the two leaders.
“Chairman Kim has decided to remind the world — and specifically the United States — that his weapons’ capabilities are growing by the day,” Kazianis posited.
Kazianis warns that the relationship between the U.S. and North Korea could regress to a back-and-forth of “nuclear war threats and personal insults,” which he calls “a dangerous cycle of spiking tensions that must be avoided at all costs.”
Last month, The Inquisitr reported that Trump issued a series of tweets praising Kim and hinting at the possibility of a third summit with the leader. He suggested that the strength of their personal relationship was enough to outweigh any ineffective policy negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea.
The president also said that North Korea has “tremendous potential for extraordinary growth,” and that he looks forward to the day when they can move past both nuclear weapons and sanctions so North Korea can prosper.
