Trump praises North Korea leader for wiping out opponents
US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has praised North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for how he “wipes out” his political opponents.
The outspoken billionaire businessman said it was "incredible" that Kim has managed to consolidate his grip on power after his father Kim Jong-il died in 2011.
“And you’ve got to give him credit: 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 that?” Trump asked at a rally in Ottumwa, Iowa, on Saturday.
“Even though it is a culture, and it’s a culture thing, he goes in, he takes over, he’s the boss. It’s incredible,” he added.
It was the latest in a series of inflammatory comments by the Republican front-runner, whose campaign has been fueled by controversy since the beginning.
Kim ordered the execution of several top officials last year, including two vice ministers, according to South Korean intelligence. He also purged and executed his once-powerful uncle for treachery in 2013.
Earlier this week, the North Korean government announced that it had successfully conducted its first hydrogen bomb test, drawing international condemnation and raising tensions with neighboring South Korea.
Following the test, Trump called the authoritarian leader a “madman playing around with nukes” and a “total nut job.”
Kim characterized the test as an act of self-defense against threats of a nuclear war with the United States.
On Sunday, the US sent a B-52 bomber, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, on a low-level flight over South Korea.
The US military said the flight was “in response to recent provocative action by North Korea.”
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