Trump says North Korea nuclear crisis will ultimately work out 'because it always works out'

President Trump expressed optimism alongside military commanders in South Korea Tuesday that the diplomatic crisis with North Korea "ultimately" will "work out."

"I think we're going to have lots of good answers for you over a period of time, and ultimately it will all work out," Trump said prior to an operational briefing at Camp Humphreys with U.S. and South Korean military leaders. "Because it always works out, has to work out."

The comments contrast with dire warnings from the president in recent months threatening North Korea with "fire and fury" in the face of repeated missile tests as well as the country's detonation of what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb in September.

Trump mocked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as "little rocket man" in his address to the United Nations General Assembly in September and said if the U.S. were forced to defend itself or its allies against North Korean aggression, "we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."

The president appeared to tone down his language leading up to his visit to Asia. His stop in Seoul puts him in the closest proximity yet to the threat faced by key U.S. allies in the region.

Later Tuesday, President Trump will sit down with South Korean President Moon Jae-in to discuss trade as well as the country's approach to North Korea. Trump has urged Moon to be more direct in confronting North Korea's aggression in the region.

"I hope that your visit to Korea and to the Asia-Pacific region will serve as an opportunity to relieve some of the anxiety that the Korean people have due to North Korea's provocations and also serve as a turning point in resolving the North Korea nuclear issue," Moon said..