Trump says NK leader was 'so happy' to see him

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at Derco Aerospace Inc., a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, July 12, in Milwaukee. AP

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Friday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was so happy to see him that the man of few expressions smiled.

Trump was apparently referring to his latest meeting with Kim at the inter-Korean border on June 30, during which the young leader could be seen beaming.

"You don't have a man testing nuclear anymore," Trump told reporters at the White House. "You have a man that was so happy to see me. That's a good thing, not a bad thing. You have a man that doesn't smile a lot, but when he saw me, he smiled. He was happy."

The U.S. president has often spoken fondly of the North Korean leader despite the lack of progress in negotiations to dismantle the regime's nuclear weapons program.

At their meeting in the Demilitarized Zone, the two agreed to resume working-level talks within a few weeks from then. No date or venue has been announced yet.

"You have a man that when I came into office, all he was doing before, under Obama, was testing nuclear weapons and blowing up mountains," Trump said. "And now he's not doing it." (Yonhap)