Trump on Kim: You’ve got to give him credit

CNN is reporting that North Korea has detained a us citizen on suspicion of spying.

That business grew to include spying on behalf of “South Korean conservative elements“, he told CNN.

North Korea claimed on Monday that it has arrested an American citizen on espionage charges, according to CNN.

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump says North Korean leader Kim Jong-un deserves “credit” for the efficiency with which he disposes of his political foes. He was arrested, he says, in October 2015.

If Donald Trump harbours perhaps a modicum of admiration for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, he came close to acknowledging it at a rally in Iowa at the weekend.

“I wasn’t originally a laborer, so the labor was hard at first”, Lim said in Korean through an interpreter. “How many young guys – he was like 26 or 25 when his father died – take over these tough generals, and all of a sudden – you know, it’s pretty fantastic when you think of it. How does he do that?”

From the same hotel room, Canadian pastor Hyeon-soo Lim, who has been jailed for life with hard labour in North Korea, also gave an interview, which CNN aired Saturday.

Other foreigners who have been detained in North Korea and later released have said they were forced to make similar statements.

In the CNN interview, Lim said he receives three meals a day and regular medical attention; his church has said Lim has “very high blood pressure”.

As is customary in times of crisis, many pairs of eyes have looked to the USA, which has 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea to assist the country with its defence.

“Seeing that this H-bomb test has succeeded, now is the time to abandon hostile policies and work to help North Korea”, he said.

The U.S. embassy in Seoul said it was aware of the report but did not have further comment. In a wide-ranging interview with CNN, he said sanctions should be imposed on China if it failed to act decisively against its long-term ally.