North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has appeared to rule out the prospect of improving relations with the United States under incoming President Donald Trump, saying negotiations with the U.S. in the past had only confirmed its unwavering hostility. Kim did not refer to Trump by name but said that given U.S. policy towards North Korea, its only option was to achieve the “most powerful military capabilities,” North Korean state media reported on Friday.
“We have already gone to every length in negotiations with the U.S., and what was certain from the outcome was ... the unchanging invasive and hostile policy toward North Korea,” said Kim during a speech at the opening of a National Defense Development-2024 arms exhibition in Pyongyang held Thursday.