Trump says Kim Jong Un responded; hints at renewed talks after scaling back South Korea drills

The US president praises ties with the North Korean leader while rebuking key ally Seoul over its failure to support the Iran campaign.

US President Donald Trump said North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un had responded to his recent messages and described their talks as “very positive.”

US President Donald Trump said he was making the situation "much safer" through his ties to Kim, whom he met three times in his first spell in the White House, but has yet to encounter during his second term.

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump hinted Monday at fresh interactions with Kim Jong Un and said he was making the situation safer through his ties to the North Korean leader. Trump's vague comments came a day after he ordered the scaling back of U.S. military drills with ally South Korea and praised his relationship with Pyongyang's Kim. Asked why Kim hadn't replied to his requests for a conversation, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office: "How do you know he hasn't responded?" When pressed about whether Kim had actually responded, Trump replied after a pause: "Yeah, he has." Trump then added "it's very positive" after he was asked what stage the conversations with Kim were at — but provided no further detail. In the past, the U.S. president has given similarly vague accounts of unconfirmed conversations with other foreign leaders including Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping. Trump doubled down on his praise for Kim — whom he met three times in his first term but has not encountered since returning to the White House last year — saying it reduced tensions with