唐纳德·特朗普总统周五表示，朝鲜最高领导人金正恩最近的短程导弹试验没有违反他们去年追求和平的协议，表达了对这位年轻统治者战略的信心。

　　上周，朝鲜发射了一套看似移动短程弹道导弹系统，周三发射了一套多管火箭系统，周五发射了一件看不见的短程武器，特朗普在随后的一系列推文中坚称，“这些试验并没有违反我们签署的新加坡协议，我们握手时也没有讨论短程导弹。”他承认，在这个难以捉摸的国家，有可能违反联合国对这种弹道导弹发射施加的限制，但他认为，双方的相互信任取代了这一点。

　　“金主席不想让我对违反信任感到失望，朝鲜可以获得的东西太多了——作为一个国家，在金正恩的领导下，潜力是无限的。特朗普写道:“同样，损失也太大了。”。

　　“我可能错了，但我相信...[主席]金正日对他的国家有一个伟大而美好的愿景，只有我作为总统的美国才能实现这一愿景，”他补充说。“他会做正确的事情，因为他太聪明了，不能不做，而且他不想让他的朋友特朗普总统失望！”

　　去年4月，金正日首次宣布非正式冻结核武器和洲际弹道导弹的试验，当时他和特朗普正在启动一个历史性的和平进程，旨在实现朝鲜半岛无核化，以换取和平、安全和解除制裁。迄今为止，金正日一直保持这一暂停，但在这两人之后，他于5月份恢复了短程武器的测试未能达成协议在二月份的最后一次峰会上。

　　五月份的测试比相隔一周韩国军方记录的射弹发射距离分别为261英里和187英里，最大高度约为31英里。官方朝鲜中央通讯社发布的图像显示，移动短程弹道导弹系统类似俄罗斯的伊斯坎德平台。

　　特朗普、金正日和韩国总统文在寅在戒备森严的朝韩边境举行了史无前例的会晤，这似乎预示着对话的新希望，但此后几乎没有公开进展的迹象。朝鲜上个月又进行了一次类似伊斯坎德系统的测试，韩国军方报告射程为370英里，最高高度为30英里，图像再次出现在朝鲜中央通讯社上。

　　周三，朝鲜进行了又一次武器试验但是这次图像只在国营的朝鲜中央电视台播出，发射装置部分受到审查。韩国军方表示，这些射弹飞行了大约155英里，在最高点飞行了19英里，这似乎是对某种多管火箭炮系统的一次试验。

　　与此同时，国务卿麦克·庞贝正在亚洲参加在泰国首都曼谷举行的东南亚国家联盟(东盟)首脑会议。最近几天，他对朝鲜在他访问期间没有提供会面的机会表示失望。

　　彭博社被彭博电视台问及最近的发射和潜在的联合国违规行为时，庞贝指出，朝鲜仍然受到世界上一些最严厉的国际制裁，美国仍在与地区伙伴合作，“以确保我们有能力最终实现金正日主席6月份在新加坡、一年前6月份在新加坡做出的承诺，即实现朝鲜完全无核化，以换取——特朗普总统描述的——朝鲜人民更光明的未来。”

　　“你永远不应该怀疑我们可能正在和朝鲜人交流什么。天啊，即使在我们说话的时候，还是有对话在进行，”他补充道。“但外交道路经常充满前进和后退的颠簸、颠簸和霜冻。我们仍然完全致力于实现我们已经确定的结果——朝鲜完全核化——并通过外交手段做到这一点。”

　　当被问及第三次美朝双边峰会的消息时，这位美国高级外交官只是简单地说了一句“保持关注”。
 

TRUMP SAYS NORTH KOREA FIRING MISSILES IS OKAY, BECAUSE KIM JONG UN HAS A 'BEAUTIFUL VISION FOR HIS COUNTRY'

President Donald Trump said on Friday that North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un's recent short-range missile tests did not violate their pact to pursue peace last year, expressing confidence in the young ruler's strategy.

In a series of tweets that followed North Korea's launching of what appeared to be a mobile short-range ballistic missile system last week, a multiple launch rocket system Wednesday and a yet unseen short-range weapon Friday, Trump asserted that the "tests are not a violation of our signed Singapore agreement, nor was there discussion of short range missiles when we shook hands." He acknowledged a potential violation of restrictions imposed by the United Nations on such ballistic missile launches in the elusive state, but argued that their mutual trust superseded this.

"Chairman Kim does not want to disappoint me with a violation of trust, there is far too much for North Korea to gain - the potential as a Country, under Kim Jong Un's leadership, is unlimited,. Also, there is far too much to lose," Trump wrote.

"I may be wrong, but I believe that ... [Chairman] Kim has a great and beautiful vision for his country, and only the United States, with me as President, can make that vision come true," he added. "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!"

Kim first announced an informal freeze on testing nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles in April of last year, just as he and Trump were embarking on what has become a historic peace process designed to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula in exchange for peace, security and the lifting of sanctions. Kim has so far maintained this pause, but resumed testing shorter-range weapons in May after the two men failed to come to an agreement at their last summit in February.

The May tests occurred a little more than a week apart and the South Korean military recorded projectiles firing 261 and 187 miles away, respectively, at a maximum height of around 31 miles. Images released by the official Korean Central News Agency showed mobile short-range ballistic missile systems that resembled Russia's Iskander platform.

Trump, Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in's unprecedented meeting at the heavily fortified inter-Korean border appeared to signal new hope for dialogue, but there have been few public signs of progress since. North Korea then conducted another test involving an Iskander-like system last month, with the South Korean military reporting a range of 370 miles and a top altitude of 30 miles high and images again appearing on the Korean Central News Agency.

On Wednesday, North Korea conducted yet another weapons test, but this time images were only aired on the state-run Korean Central Television outlet and the launcher was partially censored. The South Korean military said that these projectiles flew about 155 miles and soared 19 miles in the air at their highest point in what appeared to be a trial for some sort of multiple rocket launcher system.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Asia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in the Thai capital of Bangkok. He has expressed disappointment in recent days that North Korea did not present an opportunity to meet at some point during his time there.

Asked by Bloomberg TV about the recent launches and potential U.N. violations, Pompeo noted that North Korea still remained subject to some of the toughest international sanctions in the world and that the U.S. was still working with regional partners "to make sure that we have the capacity to ultimately deliver what Chairman Kim committed to back in June in Singapore, June a year ago back in Singapore, which is to fully denuclearize his country in exchange for—President Trump describes—a brighter future for the North Korean people."

"You should never doubt what we may be communicating to the North Koreans. There are conversations going on, goodness, even as we speak," he added. "But the diplomatic path is often fraught with bumps, tos and fros, forward and backward. We are still fully committed to achieving the outcome that we have laid out – the fully verified denuclearization of North Korea – and to do so through the use of diplomacy."

The top U.S. diplomat simply said "stay tuned" when questioned about news of a potential third U.S.-North Korea bilateral summit.