Trump: On the Brink of War with North Korea... Now in Good Relations

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] It has been revealed that former President Donald Trump mentioned late last year that the United States and North Korea came close to war.

According to some content in Bob Woodward's upcoming book "Rage," scheduled for release next week, Trump made this remark during an interview with Woodward at the White House on December 5 last year.

When Woodward said, "I understand we came close to war with North Korea," President Trump replied, "That's right," and added, "Much closer than anyone knows."

This appears to refer to the situation in 2017 when North Korea conducted intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test launches and North Korea-US relations deteriorated to their worst.

President Trump then referred to North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un, claiming, "He knows better than anyone."

When Woodward asked, "Did you mention this to him?" Trump responded, "I don't want to talk about that. But he knows," and then said, "Let's just say 'I have a good relationship now.'"

This conversation reportedly came out during the process of Trump boasting to Woodward about his surprise meeting with Chairman Kim Jong-un at Panmunjom in June last year.

President Trump continued, "But we will see what happens," mentioning that North Korea had not conducted nuclear tests or ICBM tests for two years at that time.

He also said, "I can't say what the outcome will be or how it will end yet," adding, "He has tested short-range missiles. There is no country that doesn't have those. It's not a big deal." He emphasized, "That doesn't mean he won't do something after January. We will watch. But I have a good relationship."

Woodward explained that at the time of the interview, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un had met three times.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.