Duterte calls Kim Jong-un an “idol” and “hero”
(Baonghean.vn) - Philippine President Rodridgo Duterte on April 29 declared that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, whom he previously called a "fool", is now "a hero to all", after Mr. Kim pledged to cooperate with Seoul to "completely denuclearize" the Korean Peninsula.
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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte addresses the Filipino community at a conference hall in Singapore on April 28. File photo |
Duterte said he would “congratulate” Kim, who had recently become his “idol,” if he had the chance to meet him. Duterte also wanted to tell the North Korean leader, “I admire you. You know how to act at the right time.”
“For most of the time, he was portrayed as the bad guy in society. With a brilliant move, he has now become the hero of everyone,” Duterte said when asked to comment on the historic meeting between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in at a press conference after the leader returned from an ASEAN summit in Singapore.
Duterte said of Kim: “He seems like a nice guy, a good friend, and very easygoing.”
“Kim may consider me a friend… The impact is real, there is less pressure on the Korean Peninsula now. And maybe, just maybe, we can avoid a war that no one can win,” the leader also affirmed.
Duterte has repeatedly criticized Kim for his nuclear ambitions. Last April, he questioned his sanity and urged the United States to exercise restraint and not be provoked by a man who “wants to end the world.”
A few months later, Duterte called Kim a “fool” and did not hesitate to criticize him for “playing with dangerous toys”.
On April 27, the leaders of North and South Korea agreed at a summit on a common goal of a “nuclear-free” peninsula.
Meeting at the demilitarized zone that has divided the two Koreas for more than six decades, Mr. Kim and Mr. Moon announced that they would work with the United States and China this year to declare a formal end to the Korean War and establish a permanent peace treaty.
