Trump Mentioned North Korea 287 Times and South Korea 100 Times in Speeches Over 4 Years

Published 18 Dec.2024 14:08(KST)

Law Firm Daeryuk Aju AI Report
China Ranks Highest with 4,202 Cases Outside the US
Among Major Allies, South Korea Has the Fewest Cases

Analysis of speeches and interviews by Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, during the election period revealed that North Korea was mentioned 287 times, about three times more than South Korea (100 times). Among the countries Trump mentioned, North Korea ranked 14th in frequency. South Korea was ranked 26th. Trump mentioned South Korea alongside terms such as ‘deals,’ ‘tariffs,’ and ‘trade.’ Economic and trade topics were more prevalent than security issues like the ‘withdrawal of US troops from South Korea,’ which had been a domestic concern.

Legal Newspaper

On the 13th, the law firm Daeryuk Aju published the ‘Trump Speech Analysis Report.’ The report analyzed 701 speeches and interviews Trump gave at official events from January 2, 2021, to November 14 of this year during his campaign period.

According to the report, Trump mentioned North Korea a total of 287 times. He mainly addressed North Korea in the context of security threats and military provocations. In Trump’s statements, North Korea appeared alongside words such as ‘Kim Jong-un,’ ‘China,’ ‘Russia,’ and ‘Iran.’

In fact, Trump has made friendly remarks about Kim Jong-un, the Chairman of North Korea’s State Affairs Commission. At a press conference on the 16th (local time), he boasted of his acquaintance with Kim, saying, “He is someone I get along well with.”

However, North Korea is also a headache for Trump. The ninth most frequently used phrase by Trump at official events was ‘biggest problem’ (96 times), which was used together with words like ‘North Korea,’ ‘nuclear,’ ‘inflation,’ and ‘weapons.’ This suggests that, as much as he strongly mentioned the issue of inflation in the US during the election period, he also regarded North Korea’s nuclear threat as a serious problem.

On the other hand, South Korea was mentioned less frequently even among major allies. South Korea was mentioned 100 times, ranking after Germany (282 times), Canada (206 times), and Japan (187 times). It was also behind Taiwan (242 times), with which the US has recently strengthened cooperation. South Korea was mainly mentioned in an economic context. In Trump’s statements, South Korea was discussed alongside ‘deals,’ ‘tariffs,’ and ‘trade.’

This is interpreted as the Trump administration evaluating South Korea more based on economic interests than traditional military alliances. During his candidacy, Trump referred to South Korea as a ‘money machine’ and emphasized deals even in security matters. As of September this year, South Korea’s cumulative trade surplus with the US was about 50 billion dollars, ranking seventh in the world.

The country Trump mentioned most frequently was undoubtedly ‘America.’ Associated words included ‘great,’ ‘safe,’ ‘wealthy,’ ‘strong,’ ‘proud,’ and ‘first.’ This appears to emphasize his blueprint for re-election.

The next most mentioned country was China, a competitor. Trump mentioned China, which caused a trade deficit of about 216.5 billion dollars through the third quarter of this year, alongside key words such as ‘tariffs,’ ‘car,’ ‘trade,’ and ‘farmers.’ These keywords reflect Trump’s actions of announcing high tariffs on China after taking office.