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Inconvenient truth or dangerous shift? Trump calls North Korea a ‘nuclear power’, rattles Seoul

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President Donald Trump pauses while signing  executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, following his inauguration as the 47th president. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

Speaking to reporters while signing a flurry of executive orders, Mr Trump reiterated his friendship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

PHOTO: DOUG MILLS/NYTIMES

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Mere hours after

his inauguration on Jan 20

for a second term in the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump has already managed to rattle one of the nation’s allies, South Korea.

Speaking to reporters while signing a flurry of executive orders, Mr Trump reiterated his friendship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying: “He is a nuclear power. We got along. I think he will be happy to see me coming back.”

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