CNN’s Will Ripley Talks Trump With Everyday North Koreans

By A.J. Katz 

CNN’s Tokyo-based correspondent Will Ripley chatted with everyday North Koreans in and around Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square earlier today. The main subject? Pres. Donald Trump.

“I don’t think we expect big things from the new Trump administration. We know that every administration previously worked constantly against the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea),” one man said.

Ripley has been in North Korea all week covering the nation’s missile launch over the weekend, which, per a government official, was apparently not timed to coincide with Trump’s meeting with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. “The launch had already been timed to celebrate a big national holiday coming up on Thursday in North Korea: The celebration of the 75th birth anniversary of the late-Kim Jong-il,” the official said.

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Ripley also reported on the murder of Kim Jong Nam, half-brother of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un. South Korea has already stated that the death was by poison, but Ripley reported late last night there has not even been a mention of his death in the DPRK. Such is life in a communist country.

Fast forward to 1:20 to see Ripley speaking with various citizens of Pyongyang.

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