Trump denies saying he has good relationship with N.K. leader

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday a newspaper misquoted him as saying that he has a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, when in fact he said he "would" have a good relationship with Kim.

The Wall Street Journal quoted Trump as saying in an interview Thursday, "I probably have a very good relationship with Kim Jong-un." But he declined to answer whether he has spoken with the North Korean leader, with whom he has traded threats and personal insults.

The paper interpreted the remark as a signal of the U.S. president's openness to diplomacy with Pyongyang after months of heightened tensions over the regime's nuclear weapons program. The interview also took place two days after South and North Korea held their first high-level talks in more than two years.

"The Wall Street Journal stated falsely that I said to them 'I have a good relationship with Kim Jong Un' (of N. Korea)," Trump tweeted Sunday. "Obviously I didn't say that. I said 'I'd have a good relationship with Kim Jong Un," a big difference. Fortunately we now record conversations with reporters and they knew exactly what I said and meant. They just wanted a story. FAKE NEWS!"

The paper said it stands by its report and posted the relevant portion of the recording on its website.

hague@yna.co.kr
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