The US presidential hopeful Donald Trump has heaped praise on North Korea’s despotic leader Kim Jong-un, saying the way he executes his political opponents shows “he’s the boss”.
After coming to power when he was 28, Kim cemented his rule through a series of purges, including the execution of his uncle Jang Song Thaek, said Trump.
“You’ve got to give him credit,” Trump said. “How many young guys — he was like 26 or 25 when his father died — take over these tough generals, and all of a sudden — you know, it’s pretty amazing when you think of it. How does he do thatIJ
“Even though it is a culture, and it’s a cultural thing, he goes in, he takes over, he’s the boss. It’s incredible.
“He wiped out the uncle; he wiped out this one, that one. This guy doesn’t play games and we can’t play games with him. Because he really does have missiles and he really does have nukes.”
Trump was speaking after it emerged that North Korea carried out a Hydrogen bomb test.
Trump has a track record of praising the leadership qualities of controversial world powers — from Putin to the Chinese Government. In August, he suggested Kim Jong-un might be a “genius” and called on South Korea to pay the US in exchange for the ongoing protection of its military allegiance.
Trump was speaking at a Republican rally in Iowa on Saturday, where he was met with a silent protest as he repeated his now-familiar assertion that Muslims shouldn’t be allowed to enter the US.
(Courtesy: The Independent)