Trump Criticizes Biden's North Korea Policy
Former President Donald Trump criticized the Biden administration's North Korea policy while boasting about his past friendship with Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea.
On the 2nd (local time), in Cedar Rapids, eastern Iowa, Trump stated, "He (Chairman Kim) likes me," and added, "As you know, during the four years I was in office, there were absolutely no problems with North Korea."
Chairman Kim Jong-un of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea and President Donald Trump meeting at Panmunjom in 2019. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@
This is interpreted as a criticism of the fact that denuclearization talks with North Korea have made little progress under the Biden administration. Although the Biden administration has repeatedly expressed its willingness to engage in dialogue with North Korea, Pyongyang has remained unresponsive.
Trump expressed confidence, saying, "He (Chairman Kim) will not even talk to him (President Biden)," and added, "But he (Chairman Kim) likes me. As you know, during the four years I was in office, you had absolutely no problems with North Korea about anything."
He also referred to Chairman Kim as the "Little Rocket Man," saying, "He said, 'I have a red button (to launch nuclear weapons) on my desk,' and I responded, 'I also have a red button, but mine is bigger, better, and it works.'" He continued, "Eventually, I received a call from North Korea, and they wanted to meet. We met and really got along well. We had a great relationship."
He then emphasized, "As you know, the media doesn't like to hear this," adding, "When you have a good relationship, having a good relationship with people who possess nuclear weapons and many other things is a good thing. Not a bad thing, but a good thing."
North Korea-US Expert: "Their Bromance Will Be Hard to See Again"
While Trump highlighted his past friendship with Chairman Kim to support his return to the White House, experts have a different view. Donald Scott Snyder, director of the Korea Economic Institute (KEI), wrote in an article titled "What Would a Second Trump Administration Mean for North Korea?" published on the 28th of last month (local time) in the foreign policy and security journal National Interest, that "Even if former U.S. President Trump succeeds in re-election, he will not be able to revive the 'bromance' he showed with Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, during his first term, and tensions between North Korea and the U.S. are likely to escalate."
The existence of the conservative Yoon Suk-yeol administration, unlike the Moon Jae-in government which pursued dialogue and cooperation with North Korea, was cited as a reason. He predicted, "The presence of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration will increase the cost of reconciliation with North Korea," and added, "The South Korean president will no longer be a 'cheerleader' for improving North Korea-U.S. relations."
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