'Watergate' Woodward Releases Book Based on 9-Hour Interview with Trump
Kim Jong-un's Letter to Trump Also Revealed
Kim: "Our Friendship Will Be a Magical Power"
[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. President Donald Trump described nuclear weapons to North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un as being like a "house you love too much to sell." Kim also expressed closeness by addressing Trump as "Your Excellency" in a letter he sent to the president.
On the 9th (local time), U.S. media including The Washington Post (WP) reported that Bob Woodward, the journalist famous for the Watergate scoop, obtained contents from his upcoming book "Rage," set to be published next week. Woodward conducted 18 interviews totaling 9 hours with President Trump from December last year through July this year to write the book.
Woodward conveyed that President Trump said about Kim Jong-un’s relationship with nuclear weapons, "It’s really similar to someone who loves their house. They cannot sell it." This metaphor likened Kim’s connection to nuclear weapons to real estate.
President Trump also revealed to Woodward that after meeting Kim for the first time at the first North Korea-U.S. summit in Singapore, he judged Kim to have "more than just cleverness." Trump boasted that Kim told him everything and mentioned that he heard about the process in which Kim’s uncle, Jang Song-thaek, was killed.
Regarding the chemistry between the two, Trump emphasized familiarity by saying, "When you meet a woman, you know in one second whether things will progress or not. It doesn’t take 10 minutes or 6 weeks. It doesn’t even take one second."
Woodward also revealed 27 letters that Trump received from Kim in the book. CNN disclosed the contents of two of these letters, highlighting parts where Kim addressed Trump as "Your Excellency," saying "Our meetings feel like a fantasy movie" and "Our friendship will work like magic." It also mentioned Kim’s evaluation of the North Korea-U.S. summits as "a precious memory showing how a deep and special friendship works like magic."
President Trump said that Kim considered former U.S. President Barack Obama an "asshole," contrasting the Obama administration’s "strategic patience" policy toward North Korea with his own approach.
Trump was critical of allies such as South Korea. He told Woodward about NATO and allies like South Korea, "This is a terrible deal. They make a lot of money, and it costs us $10 billion. We are suckers."
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