U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he hopes the United States could deal with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in a "honorable fashion."
Speaking in a joint press conference with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump said: "I hope that we will be able to deal in a very open and honorable fashion with North Korea (the DPRK)."
"A lot is happening right now ... And I think it's going to be very positive. And I hope it's going to be very positive for North Korea (the DPRK) and for South Korea, and Japan, and the rest of the world," he said.
Speaking of the preparations for his meeting with the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un, Trump said "we're doing very well."
However, he added that the United States has made no "concessions" in this regard.
"I haven't even discussed a concession other than the fact that meeting is a great thing," he said. "I will say this: we put the strongest sanctions on a country that we ever have put on any country, by far."
He said the U.S. definition of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula means that Pyongyang getting "rid of their nukes."
"Very simple. They get rid of their nukes, and nobody else would say it. It would be very easy for me to make a simple deal and claim victory. I don't want to do that. I want them to get rid of their nukes," he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump said before his expanded bilateral meeting with Macron that his meeting with Kim will be "very soon."
"We have been told directly that they would like to have the meeting as soon as possible. And we think that's a great thing for the world," he said.
He also said Kim is "very open" and "very honorable."
"We're having very -- very good discussions," he said. "Kim Jong Un, he really has been very open and I think very honorable from everything we're seeing."
"I think we have a chance of doing something very special with respect to North Korea (the DPRK). Good for them, good for us, good for everybody," Trump added.
Positive momentum around the Korean Peninsula has been built up in recent months thanks to inter-Korean good faith with the diplomacy around the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and denuclearization, and efforts to promote dialogue between the DPRK and South Korea and the DPRK and the United States.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in will meet with Kim on April 27. Trump said his meeting with Kim maybe happens in May or early June.
Related news: S Korean president to meet Trump around mid-May before DPRK-U.S. summit
South Korean President Moon Jae-in was pushing to meet U.S. President Donald Trump around mid-May before a summit between Trump and Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), local media reported Wednesday.
