Trump: Greenland tariffs will be implemented "100%" unless a purchase deal is reached

On whether he would use force to secure Greenland: "No comment"

U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 19th (local time) that he will "100% implement" a plan to impose tariffs on some European countries unless there is an agreement for the United States to secure Greenland.

In a phone interview with NBC News that day, Trump responded as such to a related question. However, when asked whether he would use force to secure Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, he said, "No comment."

Trump had previously said on the 17th that he would impose tariffs on eight countries—Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland—of 10% from February 1 and 25% from June 1, citing the dispatch of troops to Greenland. He also said, "These tariffs will remain in place until an agreement is reached on Greenland’s complete and total purchase."

Trump also said regarding his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize that "no matter what they say, Norway (the government) has complete control over it (the selection of the peace prize laureate)," adding, "They like to say they have nothing to do with it, but they are involved in everything." The remarks are seen as rejecting the Norwegian government’s position that the Nobel Committee—made up of members appointed by the Norwegian Parliament—decides the laureate independently of the government.

Trump went on to say he is "not interested in the Nobel Prize," adding that saving many lives by stopping eight wars through his peace-brokering efforts was a greater reward.

It was reported that Trump told Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre the previous day, "Even though I stopped more than eight wars, your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize, so I no longer feel obligated to think purely about 'peace.'"

He continued, saying, "Peace is always important, but now we can think about what is good and appropriate for the United States," and claimed, "The world is not safe unless we have complete and total control over Greenland."

Park Soo-rim, Hankyung.com reporter paksr365@hankyung.com