Trump, who took office in January, had said during his presidential campaign he would be willing to meet with Kim. Despite that, Trump’s statement that he would be “honoured” to meet Kim – as well as his description of the young North Korean leader over the weekend as “a pretty smart cookie” – sparked fresh concern over his approach to North Korea. McMaster, reassured his South Korean counterpart, Kim Kwan-jin, that the US alliance with South Korea was its top priority in the Asia-Pacific region, the South’s presidential office said. Over the weekend, Trump stepped up his outreach to allies in Asia to discuss the North Korean threat. Unlike the United States, Beijing has pushed for talks first and action later on North Korea.

Source: Dhaka Tribune May 01, 2017 21:45 UTC