Trump made the remark in response to a question about whether he and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson are on the same page on how to deal with the communist regime.
"I think I have a little bit different attitude on North Korea than other people might have," he told reporters at the start of talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House.
"And I listen to everybody, but ultimately my attitude is the one that matters, isn't it? That's the way it works. That's the way the system is."
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His comments came as North Korea's foreign minister said the US president had "lit the wick of war" with North Korea and his country would be made to pay with "a hail of fire".
Trump has been tough on North Korea as the regime has fired a series of ballistic missiles and conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test in recent months.
He has threatened to "totally destroy" the nation if necessary and called Tillerson's efforts to reach out to the regime a waste of time.
"I think perhaps I feel stronger and tougher on that subject than other people, but I listen to everybody," the president said.
"And ultimately, I will do what's right for the United States and, really, what's right for the world."
On Tuesday, Trump met with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Joe Dunford to discuss a "range of options to respond to any form of North Korean aggression," according to the White House.
The same day, the US flew two B-1B Lancer bombers near the Korean Peninsula in a show of force.
North Korea is widely expected to conduct another provocation this month, possibly around the October 18 opening of the 19th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.
Speaking to Russia's state-run TASS news agency, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said his country's nuclear program guaranteed peace and safety in the region and would not be a matter of discussion.
"With his bellicose and insane statement at the United Nations, Trump, you can say, has lit the wick of a war against us," TASS quoted Ri as saying.
"We need to settle the final score, only with a hail of fire, not words."
