Anchor: U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed his desire to reestablish the relationship he had with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his first term, calling Kim a “nuclear power.” Trump made the remarks Thursday during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House, sparking speculation that the U.S. nuclear nonproliferation stance might not last.  
Kim Bum-soo has more. 

Report: U.S. President Donald Trump was discussing nuclear arms reduction when he brought up North Korea.

[Sound bite: US President Donald Trump]
“Kim Jong-un has a lot of nuclear weapons, by the way, a lot, and others do also. You have India, you have Pakistan, you have others that have them, and we get them involved.”

Speaking to reporters during his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump also indicated that he wants to reestablish ties with the North Korean leader, calling him a "nuclear power."

[Sound bite: US President Donald Trump]
(Reporter: “On Korea, sir, we’ve seen tension increasing in the peninsula. You’ve talked about Kim Jong-un. Do you have any plans of reestablishing the relationship you had during the first mandate?”)
“Well, I would. I had a great relationship with Kim Jong-un, North Korea. … So I have a great relationship with Kim Jong-un, and we will see what happens, but certainly he is a nuclear power.”  

When Trump first labeled Kim a “nuclear power,” shortly after his inauguration, speculation arose as to whether he would pursue the North’s denuclearization.

Washington had not officially recognized North Korea’s nuclear arsenal, and the top diplomats from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan quickly reconfirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea.

But with the American president putting North Korea alongside the two de facto nuclear weapons states outside of the nonproliferation framework, concerns are brewing that Washington would be ready to discuss a partial nuclear disarmament with Pyongyang.

During his first term in office, Trump met with Kim three times, but their negotiations did not bear fruit.

Kim has since pledged to bolster his nuclear arsenal exponentially and has overseen intercontinental and hypersonic missile tests.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.