Trump says he will try to engage with North Korea's Kim

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will reach out to Kim Jong Un after he held a historic meeting with the North Korean leader during his first term.

Asked during a Fox News interview if he will engage with Kim, Trump said: "I will."

"He happens to be a smart guy. Kim Jong Un is a smart guy," he said. "He likes me and I got along with him."

Trump in 2019 became the first sitting US president to set foot on North Korean territory when as part of a series of negotiations with Pyongyang over its illicit nuclear and ballistic missile programs, he met with Kim in the infamous demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea.

North Korea has gone on to carry out a series of missile and nuclear tests in the years since, including what it says was the first successful launch of a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile in 2023.