Kim praises Trump, happy about pre-summit talks

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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un praised U.S. President Donald Trump while expressing satisfaction over the results of recent official-level talks ahead of the second summit between both leaders, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Thursday.

Kim said he trusts Trump's positive way of thinking, KCNA stated, weeks after Kim warned his country could seek a "new path" if U.S. sanctions and pressure against it continued, suggesting the DPRK leader is focused on the sit-down with Trump to produce results.

"Kim Jong Un said that we will believe in the positive way of thinking of President Trump, wait with patience and in good faith and, together with the U.S., advance step by step toward the goal to be reached by the two countries of North Korea (DPRK) and the United States," it said.

Trump's letter

The DPRK leader also expressed "great satisfaction" after receiving a letter from Trump ahead of the second summit between the pair.

Kim is making "good technical preparations" for the meeting in the isolated nation's first comments on the talks scheduled for next month, the agency added.

The letter was handed to Kim by one of his right-hand men, DPRK's Vice Chairman Kim Yong Chol, who met Trump at the White House last week as the two countries seek a denuclearization accord that could ease decades of hostility.

Kim ordered working-level preparation for the second DPRK-U.S. summit to be done well, KCNA said.

Trump will hold a second summit with Kim in late February but will maintain economic sanctions on Pyongyang, the White House said last week after Trump met Pyongyang's delegation including Kim Yong Chol, who is also DPRK's top nuclear negotiator.

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters