President Donald Trump promised Tuesday to “guarantee” the safety of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in the event that talks between the two heads of state are fruitful, suggesting that a Kim open to negotiating with America “will be safe, he will be happy, his country will be rich, his country will be hard-working and prosperous.”
Trump and Kim are currently scheduled to meet in Singapore on June 12 to discuss the denuclearization of the North Korean peninsula. While the term means an end to North Korea’s nuclear program for the United States, many experts suggest North Korea is seeking the removal of American military assets from Asia.
During a press conference with leftist South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Washington on Tuesday, Trump suggested that the scheduled June 12 summit with Kim “may not work out.” He expressed hope, however, that it will.
“North Korea has a chance to be a great country. It can’t be a great country under the circumstances they’re living in right now,” Trump said, without elaborating on those circumstances. “I think they should seize the opportunity, and we’ll soon find out whether or not they want to do that.”
Trump went on to say that, if Kim comes to an agreement with Trump, “I will guarantee his safety, yes. He will be safe, he will be happy, his country will be rich, his country will be hard-working and prosperous.”
Kim, he suggested, “will be able to look back and be very proud of what he did for North Korea and, actually, for the world.”
Trump has previously referred to Kim as “very honorable.”