Eight months after describing Kim Jong Un as a "maniac" who could trigger a nuclear war, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte now says the North Korean leader is his "idol."
Duterte said Kim was the "man of the hour" after he became the first North Korean leader to step foot in the South since the end of the Korean War in a historic meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae In on Friday.
"He has become my idol, that Kim," Duterte told a press conference after returning to the Philippines from a regional summit in Singapore. "With one master stroke, he is now the hero of everybody."
"He appears to be amiable, a jolly good fellow and very accommodating," he added. "I hope he remains that way."
Duterte said he hopes to meet Kim some day to congratulate him for the meeting, in which the two sides agreed to pursue a set of goals, including a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and an official end to the Korean War.
"I'm impressed with him," Duterte said. "He's good with timing. ... He's smart. I hope he considers me a friend."
In August, Duterte said Kim was a "fool ... playing with dangerous toys."
"Don't be complacent because he has a chubby face and he looks good," he said. "That son of a bitch is a maniac. If he makes a mistake, then the Far East will become an arid land."
North Korea had just conducted a second test of an intercontinental ballistic missile that could give it the capability to hit targets in the United States when Duterte made the statement.
The rogue nuclear state has since paused its missile tests and expressed a willingness for denuclearization.
