President Donald Trump has fired back at North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after being called “old” by Pyongyang, insisting he would never describe Kim as “short and fat”. In a series of tweets on Sunday, Mr Trump said he was trying hard to befriend the North Korean leader, despite trading escalating threats throughout the year.
The exchange followed a statement from North Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday, which referred to Mr Trump as an “old lunatic” and said his “reckless remarks” would not deter the country from advancing its nuclear programme. Earlier in the week, Mr Trump had delivered a stern warning to North Korea during a speech in Seoul, saying the regime was in “grave danger”.
Speaking to reporters in Vietnam on Sunday, Mr Trump said a future friendship with Mr Kim was possible but not certain, adding that it could be “very, very nice” for North Korea and the world. The two leaders have traded insults in the past as tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests have escalated.
In a separate tweet, Mr Trump praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for “upping sanctions” on North Korea and seeking denuclearisation. However, during Mr Trump’s visit to Beijing, Mr Xi gave no indication of a policy change towards North Korea, with which China fought alongside in the 1950-53 Korean War.
Mr Trump also offered to mediate disputes in the South China Sea, describing himself as a “very good mediator and arbitrator”. The offer came as Vietnam and other claimant states push back against China’s territorial claims and island-building activities in the strategically important waterway.
