Trump shares throwback 'unfriendly look' post with Kim Jong Un, says 'we get along great'

Washington, DC: US President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) shared a throwback photograph with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, joking about their "unfriendly look" while reaffirming that the two get along well.

"Despite the unfriendly look on this particular picture, there are many where we're smiling, Kim Jong Un and I get along GREAT!" Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Trump's remarks came against the backdrop of North Korea's criticism of the upcoming US-South Korea military exercises, saying the drills would heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula, Al Jazeera reported.

The joint military drills, named "Ulchi Freedom Shield", are scheduled to begin on August 17 and continue until August 27. The exercises will include training to counter drones, GPS disruption and cyberattacks as the US and its allies seek to adapt to North Korea's evolving military capabilities.

Also read: North Korea's Kim tells Putin he is 'proud' of strong ties, state media reports

North Korea has routinely criticised US-South Korea military exercises, describing them as provocations.

Spokesperson for North Korea's Foreign Ministry on Friday said US-Japan-South Korea military cooperation was developing into a "nuclear alliance", Al Jazeera reported, citing Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"The US-Japan-South Korea military cooperation is turning into a nuclear alliance, and North Korea will respond to a new level of threat with a new level of deterrent," the spokesperson said

The spokesperson further said the upcoming exercises were different from those conducted over the past five years and were intended to improve the ability to conduct warfare based on "new aspects of modern warfare".

"It is our consistent principle of ensuring security to respond to a new level of a threat with a new level of a deterrent," the statement published by KCNA added.

Meanwhile, on August 12, North Korea conducted a suspected ballistic missile launch on Wednesday, making it the second in less than a week,

While Yonhap News Agency, citing the South Korean military, reported that Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Wednesday, the United States only referred to it as a "missile launch" as the US Pacific Command issued a statement shortly after the launch.