Politics
23:02, 15-Jun-2018
Trump claims he has 'largely solved' DPRK problem
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US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he plans to call Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un on Sunday, following their summit in Singapore on June 12.
"I'm going to be actually calling North Korea (DPRK)," Trump told Fox News in an interview when asked what he planned to do on Father's Day.
The president later told reporters at a news conference on the White House lawn that he had given Kim a phone number to allow him to call directly.
Trump also said that he has "largely solved" the DPRK nuclear problem, saying former president Barack Obama told him before he took office that the "most dangerous problem" for the United States was the DPRK's nuclear weapons program.
"I have solved that problem," Trump said.
"Now we're getting it memorialized and all but that problem is largely solved. We signed a very good document," he said. "But more importantly than the document I have a good relationship with Kim Jong Un."
US President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un walk together before their working lunch during their summit at the Capella Hotel on the resort island of Sentosa, Singapore, June 12, 2018. / Reuters Photo
US President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un walk together before their working lunch during their summit at the Capella Hotel on the resort island of Sentosa, Singapore, June 12, 2018. / Reuters Photo
"That's a very important thing. I can now call him," he said. "I gave him a very direct number. He can now call me if he has any difficulty. We have communication."
"People are shocked," the president continued. "They thought Trump was going to get in, he's going to start throwing bombs all over the place. It's actually the opposite."
He also added that the DPRK has started to return the remains of the US soldiers that died on the peninsula in the Korean War.
On Tuesday, Trump announced that the US would halt joint military exercises with Seoul after he met with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.
Top diplomats from the US, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan on Thursday insisted that "complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization" was the only path to sanction relief for the DPRK.
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(Top image: File)
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Source(s): Reuters