Ex-Trump interpreter recalls US-North Korea summits, translation challenges in delicate diplomacy

WASHINGTON — Nearly eight years after the first summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Lee Yun-hyang, Trump's former interpreter, vividly recalls the tense ambience when the reclusive ruler made the first major appearance on the world stage. During the landmark meeting in Singapore in 2018, the seasoned Korean American interpreter said that she went beyond her primary role of facilitating communication, using her tone and delivery to help foster a positive mood for the historic rendezvous. About a month after retiring from nearly 17 years of service at the State Department, Lee, former director at the Office of Language Services, sat down with reporters, fielding questions on various topics, including the Trump-Kim tete-a-tete, South Korea-U.S. summits and her overall life as an interpreter. "I think Chairman Kim Jong-un handled (the summit with Trump) very well given that Kim came to the summit without that much (diplomatic) experience," she said. "As it was a summit at the center of the world's attention, both the leaders and I, myself, were n

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