US President Donald Trump is disputing a newspaper's account of an interview with him last week in which he was quoted as saying he probably had a "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Accusing the Wall Street Journal of misquoting him, Trump said in tweets that he told the newspaper on Thursday that "I'd probably" have a good relationship with Kim, using a conditional tense, which he insisted was a "big difference."
The White House released a portion of the audio from the interview that it said showed Trump said: "I'd." The Wall Street Journal released its own audio that it said backed up its version of the events.
The Trump comment was important because any hint that there had been direct contacts between the two leaders, who have exchanged threats and insults, would suggest a major shift in the US-led pressure campaign against Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs.
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Source: AAP
Trump has derided the North Korean leader as a "maniac" and referred to him disparagingly as "little rocket man." Kim has responded by calling the US president a "mentally deranged US dotard."
Fears of war have eased somewhat after the first round of intra-Korean talks in more than two years last week, which Trump has welcomed, ahead of February's Winter Olympics hosted by South Korea. North Korea has said it will participate in the Games.
But a false emergency alert of an impending missile attack issued by Hawaii state authorities on Saturday underscored the threat from North Korea, which is developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the US.
"We'll see what happens," Trump told reporters in Florida on Sunday when asked what he would do to resolve the North Korea standoff.
He cited upcoming meetings, possibly a reference to further talks planned between North and South Korea. "Hopefully it's all gonna work out," Trump added. "We have great talks going on, the Olympics you know about, a lot of things can happen."
In the Wall Street Journal interview, Trump was asked whether he had spoken with the North Korean leader.
"I don't want to comment on it. I'm not saying I have or haven't. I just don't want to comment," he had said.
