On his recent visit to Japan, Donald Trump once again spoke of his admiration for Kim Jong Un.

That’s not entirely unexpected, because POTUS has consistently shown his approval for those who rule with an iron fist.

Unfortunately for Donald and his pursuit of that Nobel Peace Prize, his last summit with Kim, held in the Vietnamese city of Hanoi back in February, didn’t exactly go to plan.

It was even more unfortunate for those involved in the North Korean side of negotiations, as Reuters reports:

North Korea executed its nuclear envoy to the United States as part of a purge of officials who steered negotiations for a failed summit between leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, a South Korean newspaper said on Friday.

Kim Hyok Chol [pictured below] was executed in March at Mirim Airport in Pyongyang, along with four foreign ministry executives after they were all charged with spying for the United States, the Chosun Ilbo reported, citing an unidentified source with knowledge of the situation.

“He was accused of spying for the United States for poorly reporting on the negotiations without properly grasping U.S. intentions,” the source was quoted as saying.

I think we can read between the lines here and see that Kim was just thirsty for blood.

Are Donald and Kim still in love?

Apparently, Trump’s letters were written in crayon.

As with most news coming out of North Korea, there is uncertainty around the veracity of the claims, and US State Department officials say they don’t have adequate information to confirm the reports.

Whilst one diplomatic source said they were unsure about the executions, there were signs Kim Hyok Chol and other officials were “punished for the breakdown of the summit, such as by being sent to a labour camp for reeducation”.

If you want a harrowing look inside a North Korean labour camp, read Escape from Camp 14.

Hong Min, a senior fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, said it was possible Kim Hyok Chol and other officials faced some penalty but further verification was needed.

“Executing or completely removing people like him would send a very bad signal to the United States because he was the public face of the talks and it could indicate they are negating all they have discussed,” Hong said.

Hey, North Korea tortured American citizen Otto Wambier, and returned him to the US in a vegetative state, so I don’t think Trump and his pals are that worried about the country’s behaviour.

Trump and Kim – a love story for the ages.

[source:reuters]