North Korea 'Nuclear-Armed State' Mentioned by Trump... Bold Remark Breaking 'Washington Grammar' (Comprehensive)

Introducing Trump’s First-Term Relationship with Kim Jong-un
NK News: “Remarks Seem Impromptu”
“A Departure from Washington’s Previous Stance”

North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un is speaking at the 11th plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party held in December last year. Photo by Yonhap News

As Donald Trump, President of the United States, began his term on the 20th (local time), he referred to Kim Jong-un, Chairman of North Korea, as a "nuclear power." Since previous U.S. government officials have refrained from using the term 'nuclear power,' foreign media regarded this as unusual.

On that day, President Trump introduced his relationship with Chairman Kim in the White House Oval Office, saying, "I was very friendly with Chairman Kim, and he liked me. I liked him and we got along very well."

He continued, "They thought it was a tremendous threat (North Korea). Now he is a nuclear power. We got along well. I think he will welcome my return," expressing expectations for the resumption of dialogue.

It is unusual for President Trump to explicitly refer to North Korea as a nuclear power. Previous U.S. government officials have refrained from using the term 'nuclear power' because it could imply acceptance of North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons.

Earlier, on the 14th, Pete Hegseth, the nominee for Secretary of Defense, referred to North Korea as a "nuclear power" during a confirmation hearing, raising concerns that the Trump administration might not maintain the denuclearization goals of previous U.S. administrations regarding North Korea.

It is unclear whether President Trump recognized the diplomatic implications of the term 'nuclear power' or simply wanted to emphasize the fact that North Korea possesses nuclear weapons.

The U.S. North Korea specialist media NK News stated, "Trump's remarks seem more like impromptu comments rather than an official policy declaration," but also noted, "This deviates from Washington's previous stance of not recognizing North Korea as a nuclear power despite its possession of nuclear weapons."

President Trump's remarks came during a response to a question about what threats the outgoing President Joe Biden, who left office that day, had identified, similar to how former President Barack Obama, who left the White House in 2017, had pointed to North Korea as a major security threat when Trump began his first term. Trump emphasized, "I think we have many threats now. (At that time) I thought North Korea was going well."

Trump, a real estate businessman, also showcased his business acumen. He explained, "I think he (Kim Jong-un) has tremendous condo capabilities. He has a lot of coastline."

President Trump has previously praised North Korea's real estate location several times. In an interview last year, he revealed that he had advised Chairman Kim during the Singapore North Korea-U.S. summit to build condos along the coast.

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