By Oh Young-jin
U.S. President Donald Trump recently professed his love for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in a rather peculiar way.
Trump made his public confession as if his love was something like that between a man and a woman. "We fell in love," he told a West Virginia crowd, explaining their love had its ups and downs, tugs and pushes. "Really," he reassured the crowd when they laughed nervously.
Maybe his feelings of love can be dismissed as a result of a sudden surge of estrogen in his body ― not atypical with old men ― but considering the U.S. is a superpower and its leader is influential, it behooves me to check what love he meant, to the best of my ability. Besides, few have taken it seriously and tried to find out.
Since I have only a layman's qualification in psychiatry, I used the method of rating the kinds of love on a scale of the least to the most likely.
Brokeback Mountain
Truly, Trump and Kim are lonely in their own way.
Kim appears revered by North Koreans who may have few other choices ― any sign of disrespect leads to a long trip to the gulag or a firing squad.
Trump is backed by his core supporters but others despise him. His key lieutenants have turned their backs on him and are trying to cooperate with Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller with his probe into Trump's Russian connections. Impeachment cannot be ruled out.
So the two lonely men may have found solace in each other's company, but their time together during their Singapore summit, their only known get-together, was short, with too many prying eyes compared with the Brokeback circumstances.
Platonic love
There appears little platonic about the two.
Platonic love stands for wisdom and beauty, and Plato opts for rule by philosopher kings.
Trump is impatient with reading and is ready to grab women by what, God forbid. He is also an elected dictator and is a transactional man, not a philosophizing one.
Kim is a dictator and third-generation king in a modern-day dynasty.
Between the two, Kim has a greater chance of getting to know about the Greek philosopher thanks to his European education. Trump attended a military academy, so he preferred Sun Tzu, author of the ancient "Art of War." Isn't Trump's book "The Art of the Deal"?
Besides, the two are known for their "destructive" tendencies. Remember earlier this year when they threatened to annihilate each other with nuclear arms?
Both are closer to Machiavelli than Plato.
Bromance
Kim and Trump have similar tendencies.
The two hit it off instantly. Their June 12 summit in Singapore showed their chemistry. Kim and Trump came up with an agreement that was criticized for being empty but the two showed rapport ― a camaraderie of sorts.
Trump has spoken of his fondness for Kim on occasions before the latest confession. Kim's opening act has been more dramatic than anything seen during his two predecessors.
If the two are left to their own devices, they could reach the state of brotherly love.
Unrequited love
Whatever kind of love Trump referred to, it would likely end up as the one-sided type.
That is not just because Kim has not reciprocated Trump's love.
The two seek what the other side can't give to the other.
The U.S. wants the North to denuclearize, giving up something that guarantees its existence, while the North wants the U.S. to offer a safe way out of its isolation, something that is beyond anybody's ability, including the U.S.
That doesn't necessarily mean that their love can't be consummated. It only means the odds are formidably stacked against it. We will have to see what happens at their second summit.
So, will it become "Romeo and Juliet" or "The Taming of the Shrew"?
U.S. President Donald Trump recently professed his love for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in a rather peculiar way.
Trump made his public confession as if his love was something like that between a man and a woman. "We fell in love," he told a West Virginia crowd, explaining their love had its ups and downs, tugs and pushes. "Really," he reassured the crowd when they laughed nervously.
Maybe his feelings of love can be dismissed as a result of a sudden surge of estrogen in his body ― not atypical with old men ― but considering the U.S. is a superpower and its leader is influential, it behooves me to check what love he meant, to the best of my ability. Besides, few have taken it seriously and tried to find out.
Since I have only a layman's qualification in psychiatry, I used the method of rating the kinds of love on a scale of the least to the most likely.
Brokeback Mountain
Truly, Trump and Kim are lonely in their own way.
Kim appears revered by North Koreans who may have few other choices ― any sign of disrespect leads to a long trip to the gulag or a firing squad.
Trump is backed by his core supporters but others despise him. His key lieutenants have turned their backs on him and are trying to cooperate with Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller with his probe into Trump's Russian connections. Impeachment cannot be ruled out.
So the two lonely men may have found solace in each other's company, but their time together during their Singapore summit, their only known get-together, was short, with too many prying eyes compared with the Brokeback circumstances.
Platonic love
There appears little platonic about the two.
Platonic love stands for wisdom and beauty, and Plato opts for rule by philosopher kings.
Trump is impatient with reading and is ready to grab women by what, God forbid. He is also an elected dictator and is a transactional man, not a philosophizing one.
Kim is a dictator and third-generation king in a modern-day dynasty.
Between the two, Kim has a greater chance of getting to know about the Greek philosopher thanks to his European education. Trump attended a military academy, so he preferred Sun Tzu, author of the ancient "Art of War." Isn't Trump's book "The Art of the Deal"?
Besides, the two are known for their "destructive" tendencies. Remember earlier this year when they threatened to annihilate each other with nuclear arms?
Both are closer to Machiavelli than Plato.
Bromance
Kim and Trump have similar tendencies.
The two hit it off instantly. Their June 12 summit in Singapore showed their chemistry. Kim and Trump came up with an agreement that was criticized for being empty but the two showed rapport ― a camaraderie of sorts.
Trump has spoken of his fondness for Kim on occasions before the latest confession. Kim's opening act has been more dramatic than anything seen during his two predecessors.
If the two are left to their own devices, they could reach the state of brotherly love.
Unrequited love
Whatever kind of love Trump referred to, it would likely end up as the one-sided type.
That is not just because Kim has not reciprocated Trump's love.
The two seek what the other side can't give to the other.
The U.S. wants the North to denuclearize, giving up something that guarantees its existence, while the North wants the U.S. to offer a safe way out of its isolation, something that is beyond anybody's ability, including the U.S.
That doesn't necessarily mean that their love can't be consummated. It only means the odds are formidably stacked against it. We will have to see what happens at their second summit.
So, will it become "Romeo and Juliet" or "The Taming of the Shrew"?
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