Trump Again Calls North Korea a "Nuclear State"… "Good Relationship with Kim Jong-un"

"Kim Jong-un Has Many Nuclear Weapons"

U.S. President Donald Trump referred to North Korea as a 'Nuclear Power' on the 13th (local time) and expressed his willingness to resume talks with North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un. He also reaffirmed plans to impose reciprocal tariffs next month, emphasizing that he will not back down on tariff policies.

EPA Yonhap News

President Trump, during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House Oval Office, responded "Yes" when asked if he would rebuild relations with Chairman Kim, adding, "I have a great relationship with Kim Jong-un, and we'll see what happens." This showed his intention to improve relations through dialogue, similar to his first term when the North Korea-U.S. summit was held.

He went on to say, "He (Kim Jong-un) is definitely a nuclear power," once again calling North Korea a nuclear power, as he did on his inauguration day, January 20. Referring to past U.S.-Soviet nuclear arms control issues, he also said, "Kim Jong-un has a lot of nuclear weapons."

As President Trump referred to North Korea as a nuclear power, some analysts suggested that the U.S. administration might be revising its North Korea policy to acknowledge North Korea's nuclear status. However, the White House had previously confirmed its stance on pursuing complete denuclearization of North Korea. The current view in Washington D.C. is that President Trump, who is not a diplomatic expert, does not use the term 'nuclear power' for North Korea based on precise definitions.

He mentioned the North Korea-U.S. summit during his first term, saying, "When I first ran, it seemed like a war with North Korea was going to happen," and claimed, "If I had not been elected and Hillary (former Secretary of State Clinton) had entered the White House, you would have had a nuclear war with North Korea and millions would have died." Clinton ran as the Democratic candidate in the 2016 presidential election against President Trump.

President Trump emphasized, "He (Kim Jong-un) did not meet or even take calls from Obama (former President Barack Obama)," adding, "It started rough and tough with me, but we met."

He also appeared to refer to the 2018 Winter Olympics held in Pyeongchang, saying, "That summit led to Korea's tremendous success at the Olympics, and North Korea participated," calling it "a great achievement of the Trump administration." However, contrary to President Trump's claim, the Pyeongchang Olympics were held in February 2018, four months before the first North Korea-U.S. summit.

Furthermore, President Trump reiterated his intention to proceed with tariff policies as planned. He said, "We have been robbed for years, but we will no longer be taken advantage of," reaffirming the imposition of reciprocal tariffs on steel, aluminum, and automobiles. Earlier, President Trump announced a 200% tariff on all alcoholic beverages imported from the European Union (EU). This was in response to the EU's retaliatory measure of imposing a 50% tariff on American whiskey after the U.S. imposed a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum effective from the 12th.

He also repeatedly pressured Russian President Vladimir Putin to accept a 30-day ceasefire agreement with Ukraine. President Trump stated, "Ukraine has agreed to a complete ceasefire, and we hope Russia will do the same," adding, "I want to meet and talk with him (President Putin). We need to end this (war) quickly."

When asked about the annexation of Greenland, a Danish territory, he replied, "I think that will happen," once again expressing his intention to incorporate Greenland.