Trump, Ahead of 2018 North Korea-US Summit, Says "Kim Jong-un, an Amazing Golfer"

Private Dinner Remarks from April 2018 Revealed

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] A remark by U.S. President Donald Trump, who described North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un as a "great golfer" ahead of the first North Korea-U.S. summit held in Singapore in 2018, has been revealed after two years.

According to the Associated Press and The Washington Post on the 25th (local time), President Trump made the remark at a donor dinner held on April 30, 2018, at the Washington Trump International Hotel owned by the Trump Organization.

According to the video transcript of the conversation, when President Trump explained that the date and location of the first North Korea-U.S. summit had been decided, one attendee recommended the Jack Nicklaus golf course in Songdo International City, Incheon, as the venue. President Trump then burst into laughter and replied, "As you know, Kim Jong-un is a great golfer."

The AP explained that the golf course, in which Gale International, a U.S. real estate development company, owns 70% of the shares, was designed by the famous golfer Jack Nicklaus.

President Trump also mentioned the Korean War during the conversation with donors that day. He questioned the U.S. involvement in the Korean War, saying, "How on earth did we get involved in Korea?" and "Tell me how we ended up participating in the Korean War."

In addition, President Trump disparaged former President George W. Bush, China, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the European Union (EU). Regarding former President Bush, he sarcastically said, "Because of Bush, we got dragged into wars and the Middle East, spending $7 trillion. It's a great example." He criticized China, saying, "China has been taking advantage of us for years, and we owe China $2 trillion." He then attacked the WTO, saying, "The WTO is even worse. China wasn't this powerful before joining the WTO."

The private dinner scene containing these remarks was revealed externally amid the impeachment trial of President Trump ongoing in the Senate. The lawyer of Lev Parnas, a Ukraine-born businessman involved in the 'Ukraine scandal' and an acquaintance of Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, released a one-hour video recorded at the time. This was to refute President Trump's claim that "I don't know Parnas."