DONALD Trump said he wants to meet Kim Jong-un again after he famously shook hands with the tyrant inside the Korean Demilitarised Zone.
Trump, who met the North Korean dictator three times in his first term, hailed their relationship and said he knew him “better than anybody”.
The US president told reporters in the White House today: “Someday I’ll see him.
“I look forward to seeing him.”
He added that the North Korean tyrant was “very good with me”.
Trump intends to meet Kim in hopes of denuclearising his weapons arsenal.
Earlier this year, he said he plans to kick off fresh talks with Kim over North Korea‘s alarming nuclear advances.
Trump previously said he had a good relationship with Kim – though he also called him “Little Rocket Man” for testing missiles.
But he today asserted that North Korea has been firing fewer rockets since he returned to the White House on January 20.
Don fondly recalled the last time he met Kim in 2019 at the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) that separates the Koreas – and said everyone went “crazy”.
“Remember when I walked across the line and everyone went crazy?” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office today.
“But I loved it,” Trump added.
The president once even said that he and Kim “fell in love.”
He added that he felt safe because he had a good relationship with Kim.
Trump became the first sitting US president to set foot on North Korean soil in June 2019 during an unannounced trip to the DMZ.
He has since repeated his suggestions that he could soon meet with Kim and suggested he could help work toward peace.
The two Koreas are still technically at war after a three-year conflict ended in a 1953 armistice.
During his first term, Trump held two high-level summits with Kim but the talks collapsed dramatically.
Their previous meetings reduced tensions but failed to produce a lasting agreement.
But there are no signs of bravado from Trump towards Kim.
Don is now aiming to reach an agreement with the North Korean leader and may soon commence official discussions with the nation, which he referred to as a “nuclear power.”
Senior US officials told Axios that the Trump administration has “closed-door discussions” on potential options to restart talks with North Korea.
One senior official said: “We are convening agencies to understand where the North Koreans are today.
A cup of coffee at world’s most perilous Starbucks
By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter
FEARLESS Starbucks fans can now enjoy a cup of coffee while overlooking the razor-wire fences at the world’s most militarised strip of land.
The renowned American coffee company has launched its latest location in an observatory close to the 2.5-mile-wide Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates North and South Korea.
All the tables inside the store face North Korea and the heavily militarised border.
However, to visit the Starbucks situated at Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo, visitors must navigate through a military checkpoint, located less than a mile from North Korean territory.
The observatory was built on a hill that was a fierce battle site during the 1950-53 Korean War – one of the “hot” wars during the Cold War Era.
On a clear day, North Korean villagers can be seen from the observatory through its telescopes.
The cafe also overlooks North Korea’s Songaksan Mountain and a nearby village in Kaephung county.
A river designated as “neutral waters” runs between the observatory and one of the border towns in North Korea less than a mile away.
Baek Hea-soon, among the early patrons of the new café, expressed: “I’d love to enjoy this delicious coffee with people from North Korea.”
The DMZ has become an unlikely draw for foreign and local tourists, despite a spike in tensions on the Korean peninsula in recent years.
“A lot has changed in the last four years. We are evaluating, diagnosing and talking about potential avenues, including engagement.”
According to a White House official, “President Trump intends to seek North Korea’s full denuclearization, continuing the efforts from his first term.”
A few days before Trump assumed the presidency, Kim pledged to adopt a “tough” stance with a policy against the US, labeling it as “the most reactionary state that consistently upholds anti-communism as its permanent state policy.”
Since their last meeting, Kim has forged a close relationship with Russia, including sending troops to fight against Ukraine.
He has also dug in on refusing any dismantlement of North Korea’s nuclear program.
