Trump on North Korea: ‘I’d like to see them getting involved in the Olympics’

President Trump on Saturday said that he would like to see North Korea get involved in the upcoming Winter Olympics in South Korea.

“I’d like to see them getting involved in the Olympics and maybe things go from there. So I’m behind that 100 percent,” the president told reporters at Camp David. 

North and South Korea are holding their first official talks on Tuesday following the reopening of a phone line between the two countries this week. 

{mosads}The president took credit for what appears to be a slight improvement in relations on Saturday. 

“I spoke to the president, as you know, with President Moon [Jae-in] of South Korea. He thanked me very much for my tough stance and, you know, for 25 years they haven’t been using a tough stance,” he continued. 

North Korea’s International Olympic Committee representative on Saturday said the country would likely send some athletes to the games after leader Kim Jong Un floated the possibility in a New Year’s Day speech.

Trump said he would like the two countries to take their newfound dialogue beyond February’s Olympics in Pyeongchang. 

“I hope they do. I would love to see them take it beyond the Olympics. We have a very good relationship with South Korea,” Trump said. 

“I would love to see it go far beyond the Olympics, absolutely. And at the appropriate time, we’ll get involved. I like the idea of their dealing on the Olympics. That should be between those two countries.”

Relations between North Korea and the international community have been tense in recent months following a slew of intercontinental ballistic missile launches. 

The United Nations Security Council unanimously voted late last month to impose sanctions on North Korea aimed at the strangling its economy.