A top adviser to North Korea’s foreign ministry on Thursday praised the continued “special” relationship between DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump.

In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim Kye Gwan appealed to Trump’s “political judgment and intention” and urged him to stay the course with diplomacy.

Kim — who previously served as North Korea’s former top nuclear negotiator and serves as an adviser to Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) — also said he had recently met with Kim Jong Un and discussed the relationship between the two leaders.

Thursday’s statement appears to be response to