Trade and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have been two constants in the tweets of the US president since he took office, so following his fractious exchanges with Kim Jong-un ahead of his first official visit to Northeast Asia, it comes as no surprise that the Korean crisis and trade have been the focus of his talks so far.

It was the case in Japan and the Republic of Korea. And it will very likely be the case in China, which is next on his itinerary.

After his war rhetoric of recent weeks, Donald Trump struck a more conciliatory and optimistic note on Tuesday in the ROK, expressing his strongest inclination yet that he was willing to deal with rising tensions with the DPRK through diplomacy, urging Pyongyang to "come to the table" and "make a deal".