Trump eases war threats against N. Korea

SEOUL, South Korea — President Donald Trump, whose long-distance threats and insults toward North Korea have stoked fears of a nuclear confrontation, brought a message of reassurance to South Korea on Tuesday, moving to bolster an anxious ally as he came within 35 miles of one of the world’s most dangerous borders.

Gone were the threats to rain “fire and fury” on North Korea and the derisive references to its leader, Kim Jong Un, as “Little Rocket Man” as Trump said he saw progress in diplomatic efforts to counter the threat from Pyongyang, adding, “Ultimately, it will all work out.”

After a day of private meetings and public bonding with President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, who was elected promising a shift toward dialogue with the North, Trump — who as recently as last month tweeted that direct talks were a “waste of time” — said Tuesday that it would be in Pyongyang’s interest to “come to the table and to make a deal.”

Trump, who visited with U.S. and South Korean troops at Camp Humphreys south of Seoul, noted that the U.S. military had positioned three aircraft carriers and a nuclear submarine in the Pacific.

“We have many things happening that we hope, we hope — in fact, I’ll go a step further — we hope to God we never have to use,” Trump said.

Hundreds of labor activists and other progressives shouted in downtown Seoul: “No Trump, no war!”

Hundreds of conservatives welcomed Trump with South Korean and American flags.

“We believe in Trump!” their signs read.