Mr Ri escaped North Korea in 2016 and has since been face to face with Kim Jong Un on seven separate occasions. He says that North Korea still views Mr Trump as someone it can negotiate with over its nuclear weapons programme, despite talks between him and Kim Jong Un breaking down in 2019.
In his first interview with an international broadcaster, Mr Ri provides a rare understanding of what one of the world’s most secretive and repressive states is hoping to achieve.
As the old saying goes… ‘Birds of a feather flock together.’ – © Mark Alexander