HANOI, Vietnam — President Trump said Wednesday he’ll know very soon whether “my friend Kim Jong Un” is willing to abandon his nuclear weapons program in return for economic prosperity similar to Vietnam, the host country for their second summit.
“Vietnam is thriving like few places on earth,” Mr. Trump tweeted from Hanoi early Wednesday, local time. “North Korea would be the same, and very quickly, if it would denuclearize.”
He said of North Korea’s leader, “The potential is AWESOME, a great opportunity, like almost none other in history, for my friend Kim Jong Un. We will know fairly soon — Very Interesting!”
Communist Vietnam has robust growth averaging about 7 percent per year, with a per capita income about twice that of North Korea. Mr. Trump is preparing to sign a trade deal with Vietnamese leaders Wednesday before he heads into his first face-to-face meeting with Mr. Kim of the summit.
Both leaders arrived in Vietnam on Tuesday to discuss steps for North Korea dismantling its weapons program. Mr. Kim is seeking relief from economic sanctions.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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