The State Department on Wednesday repeatedly referred to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as “this young man” or “the young man.”
“The young man needs to pay more attention to the North Korean people,” State spokesman John Kirby said of Kim in response to a question on North Korea. “This young man has proven that he is perfectly willing and able to flout and to violate his international obligations.”
The phrase was picked up on by Associated Press reporter Matt Lee, who asked if it’s the department’s new designation for the leader.
“This phrase — the young man — that you are using to refer to Kim Jong-un, that’s a new and deliberate thing? If it is, your rhetoric is not yet close to the North Koreans on him. You should know that it’s more flowery and bombastic,” Lee said.
“Factually it’s true. He’s young. And he’s a man,” Kirby replied. “I didn’t want to get into a psychoanalysis.”
Kirby then began calling Kim “this young dictator.”
