Trump says DPRK's Kim is "starting to respect US"

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US president Donald Trump said the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un is "starting to respect" the US, even as Pyongyang revealed plans for its missile development Wednesday and Kim ordered a production boost.

At a campaign-style rally in Phoenix, Trump said his aggressive rhetoric was starting to bear fruit.

"Some people said it was too strong. It's not strong enough," he told thousands of supporters. "But Kim Jong-Un, I respect the fact that I believe he is starting to respect us. I respect that fact very much."

US President Donald Trump speaks at a "Make America Great Again" rally in Phoenix, Arizona, on August 22, 2017. /AFP Photo

"And maybe, probably not, but maybe something positive can come about."

Trump's remarks came hours after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said talks with the nuclear-armed DPRK over its banned weapons programs might be possible "in the near future".

Tillerson acknowledged Pyongyang's recent "restraint" in not carrying out fresh nuclear or missile tests in response to tough new UN's sanctions, the seventh set imposed on it.

Trump's comments are a marked contrast to the rhetoric of recent weeks, when Trump spoke of raining "fire and fury" on the DPRK, and come as tensions have eased after Kim pulled back from a plan to send a salvo of missiles towards the US Pacific territory of Guam.

But Washington also imposed new sanctions on Chinese and Russian firms suspected of doing business with the DPRK.

Pyongyang, meanwhile, revealed significant technological advances in its missile programs and ambitious plans to further improve its capabilities.

On a visit to the Chemical Material Institute of the Academy of Defense Science, Kim ordered stepped-up production of rocket engines and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) nosecones, state media reported.

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Source(s): AFP