SEOUL, October 04 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump again touted his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday, saying it was beneficial to get along with leaders who command large nuclear arsenals and making an unexplained reference to “112 nuclear missiles.”
Speaking at a Republican campaign rally in Vandalia, Ohio, Trump defended his relationships with leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“Isn’t it nice to get along with the leaders of massive nations, massive nuclear nations?” Trump said. “I get along great with Kim Jong-un of North Korea. When people have 112 nuclear missiles, it’s nice to get along.”
“But here’s the difference,” he added. “Iran will never have a nuclear missile.”
Trump did not explain what the figure of 112 referred to. Because the comment immediately followed his reference to Kim, it appeared to refer to North Korea’s nuclear arsenal, although Trump did not explicitly say that North Korea possessed 112 nuclear missiles.
The figure also differed sharply from one Trump cited in August, when he said North Korea had 57 “very powerful” nuclear weapons.
Independent estimates vary widely: SIPRI and the Federation of American Scientists put North Korea’s assembled arsenal at about 60 warheads, while South Korea’s defense minister said in August that private estimates ranged from 80 to 120.
Warhead estimates are not directly comparable with the number of nuclear-capable missiles.
Trump has repeatedly signaled in recent months that he wants to revive direct diplomacy with Kim.
In August, he said he expected to meet the North Korean leader before the end of the year.
His administration has also taken steps aimed at easing tensions with Pyongyang. Trump ordered the Pentagon in August to substantially scale back the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises with South Korea, calling the drills costly and a “totally inappropriate and hostile” signal to the North.
The allies subsequently shortened the exercise from 11 days to five and reduced some field training.
The State Department said Friday that Trump did not regard talks with North Korea as a “concession” and remained willing to engage Pyongyang if doing so served U.S. interests.
Trump’s latest remarks came as North Korea continued expanding its weapons programs.
North Korea said Sunday that Kim had overseen an intermediate-range strategic missile drill a day earlier, with the North Korean leader saying such activities were aimed at further advancing the country’s nuclear war deterrent.
AJP Takeaways
- Trump said he gets along well with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and made an unexplained reference to “112 nuclear missiles,” without clarifying what the figure represented.
- The remark differs from Trump’s August claim that North Korea had 57 nuclear weapons, while independent estimates generally place Pyongyang’s assembled arsenal at around 60 warheads, with some estimates higher.
- Trump has continued signaling interest in renewed diplomacy with Kim as his administration scales back some joint military exercises with South Korea, even as North Korea pushes ahead with its missile and nuclear programs.
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