President Trump on Friday said he does not believe North Korean leader Kim Jong Un violated any pact with him by launching another round of projectiles.
“He likes testing missiles,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for the Group of Seven economic summit in France.
“Kim Jong Un has been, you know, pretty straight with me, I think,” Trump added. “And we’re going to see what’s going on.”
Trump downplayed the ongoing tests, saying the two never agreed to limit “short-ranged missiles.”{mosads}
North Korea hours earlier fired two more unidentified projectiles into the East Sea, according to South Korean news agencies. White House officials said they were aware of the situation.
North Korea has launched test missiles on a consistent basis in recent weeks, alarming U.S. allies in the region. International officials and some of Trump’s advisers have said the tests are a violation of a United Nations resolution.
But Trump has signaled that he is unbothered by the projectiles, pointing to his personal relationship with Kim.
The president said earlier this month that he’d received a “beautiful” letter from Kim, adding that he expected the two men could meet again to discuss denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Trump and Kim have held three face-to-face meetings that have yet to yield a concrete plan for North Korea to denuclearize.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo acknowledged in an interview this week that he wished North Korea would not carry out test launches, adding that he hoped the two sides would have resumed denuclearization talks more quickly.