Trump says 'lot of things going on' regarding NK, raises prospects of 'major rebuild'

During a Cabinet meeting, Trump also mentioned the prospects of a "major rebuild" while touting his engagement with the North, with a renewed claim that if somebody else became president, "you'd, right now, be in a big war."

"Something is going to be happening with North Korea too," Trump said, according to a transcript from the White House.
"There's some very interesting information on North Korea. A lot of things are going on. And that's going to be a major rebuild at a certain point," he added.

His remarks came amid skepticism over diplomacy with the recalcitrant North, which deepened due to the absence of progress in working-level negotiations that Washington and Pyongyang resumed in Sweden on Oct. 5 after a monthslong pause.

The North declared the negotiations as a breakdown, accusing the US of having come to the table "empty-handed." On the contrary, the US cast the talks as "good discussions" and agreed to Sweden's offer to resume talks with the North in two weeks' time after the Oct. 5 meeting.

Apparently mindful of skepticism over his diplomacy with the North, Trump boasted of his ties with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

"In the meantime, North Korea is -- I like Kim; he likes me. We get along," he said. "I respect him; he respects me. You could end up in a war."  

It remains to be seen whether the North will come out for dialogue anytime soon. 

Since the collapse of the latest talks, Pyongyang's state media have called for self-reliance, with observers raising possibilities of the North setting off major provocations, such as an intercontinental ballistic missile, to bolster its bargaining leverage. 

Trump's mention of a "major rebuild" appears aimed at highlighting economic benefits that would come with Pyongyang's denuclearization. Washington has repeatedly talked of a "bright future," stressing the North's economic potential.