Dictator Kim Jong-un has 'beautiful vision' for North Korea, Trump claims

"A great and beautiful vision for his country" is how US President Donald Trump described Kim Jong-un's plans for North Korea on Friday, adding that "only the United States, with me as President, can make that vision come true".

In a series of tweets, in which he called himself a friend of Kim's, Trump also said he did not believe that Kim wanted to disappoint him "with a violation of trust," adding that "there is far too much for North Korea to gain ... Also, there is far too much to lose."

"He will do the right thing because he is far too smart not to, and he does not want to disappoint his friend, President Trump!"

Earlier this year, a United Nations human rights investigator said that under Chairman Kim, North Korea continues to quash basic freedoms, maintaining political prison camps and strict surveillance of its citizens.

In a landmark 2014 report, UN investigators said that 80,000 to 120,000 people were thought to be held in camps in North Korea. It documented torture and other violations, saying they could amount to crimes against humanity.

After the failed nuclear summit between Kim and Trump, South Korean media reported that North Korea reportedly executed the North Korean nuclear envoy to the United States as part of a purge of officials who steered negotiations.

Reuters