Norway voices concern over Trump reaction ahead of Nobel Peace Prize announcement
In short
This year's Nobel Peace Prize winner was due to be announced at 6 p.m. Korea time on October 9, and the Washington Post reported that people in Norway were worried about a backlash from US President Donald Trump if he did not win. Kjetil Tronvoll (셰틸 트론볼), vice-rector for research at Oslo New University College, told the Post it might be better to suspend the prize for three years, until Trump leaves office.
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People in Norway are worried about a backlash from US President Donald Trump if he does not win this year's Nobel Peace Prize, the Washington Post reported on October 8 local time, according to three Korean business dailies. The winner was scheduled to be announced at 6 p.m. Korea time on October 9, and Korea Economic Daily said the award ceremony will be held in Oslo on December 10. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Kjetil Tronvoll (셰틸 트론볼), vice-rector for research at Oslo New University College (오슬로 뉴유니버시티칼리지), told the Post it might be better to suspend the peace prize for three years, until Trump leaves office, so as not to provoke him unnecessarily. According to Seoul Economic Daily and Maeil Business, he also said the committee does not sufficiently weigh the international political repercussions of its choices and lacks risk analysis and advance vetting. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The outlets recalled that in January, during a dispute with Europe over Greenland, Trump texted Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre that since Norway had decided not to give him the prize for ending more than eight wars, he no longer felt obliged to think purely of peace. Seoul Economic Daily said the United States entered a war with Iran within weeks. Korea Economic Daily and Seoul Economic Daily reported that Trump had also phoned Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg directly about the prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee is independent of the government, but because its members are appointed by parliament, Trump could direct his displeasure at the Norwegian government, the reports said. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The outlets described Trump's chances as poor, citing the war with Iran and conflicts with European countries and international organisations. Henrik Syse (헨리크 쉬세), a research professor at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and the committee's deputy chair until 2020, said: "Trump seems to be out of the discussion." Seoul Economic Daily said Trump now mentions the prize publicly far less often, but at the White House the previous day he said he had settled eight wars and mentioned that Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who won last year's prize, had given him her medal. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said last month that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could share the prize if the US and China agreed to reduce the risks of AI development. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The committee said in April that 287 nominations had been received, 208 individuals and 79 organisations, Korea Economic Daily reported. Maeil Business listed Save the Children, Mykola Kuleba (미콜라 쿨레바), founder of Save Ukraine, and Sudan's Emergency Response Rooms (ERR) among names mentioned, along with Pope Leo XIV, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. It said South Korean citizens who overcame the December 3 martial law under the Yoon Suk Yeol government are believed to be among the nominees. [ 1 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The Norwegian Nobel Committee is independent of the government, but its members are appointed by Norway's parliament, so Trump could direct displeasure with the result at the Norwegian government, the outlets reported. Maeil Business said the announcement could affect relations between the United States and Norway, noting that Trump linked his failure to win the prize to a diplomatic dispute in January.
Key facts
- The Nobel Peace Prize winner was scheduled to be announced at 6 p.m. Korea time on October 9. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The award ceremony is to be held in Oslo on December 10. [ 1 ]
- The Washington Post reported on October 8 local time that people in Norway were worried about a backlash from Trump if he did not win. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Kjetil Tronvoll (셰틸 트론볼) of Oslo New University College suggested suspending the prize for three years, until Trump leaves office. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- In January, during a dispute with Europe over Greenland, Trump texted Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre that he no longer felt obliged to think purely of peace after not receiving the prize. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Former committee deputy chair Henrik Syse (헨리크 쉬세) said Trump seems to be out of the discussion. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The Norwegian Nobel Committee said in April that 287 nominations were received this year: 208 individuals and 79 organisations. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The Washington Post reported concern in Norway about Trump's reaction if he does not win the prize. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Kjetil Tronvoll told the Washington Post it might be better to suspend the peace prize for three years until Trump leaves office. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Trump sent a text message to Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in January referring to not having received the prize despite ending more than eight wars. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Trump phoned Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg directly about the prize. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The Norwegian Nobel Committee is independent of the government, but its members are appointed by parliament. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Henrik Syse, deputy chair of the committee until 2020, said Trump seems to be out of the discussion. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Trump said at the White House the previous day that he had settled eight wars and mentioned that Maria Corina Machado had given him her Nobel medal. [ 2 , 3 ]
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said last month that Trump and Xi Jinping could share the prize if the US and China agreed to reduce AI risks. [ 2 , 3 ]
- 287 nominations were received for this year's prize. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Who wins this year's prize and how Trump will respond. All documents were published before the 6 p.m. announcement.
- Whether South Korean citizens are among this year's nominees. Only Maeil Business reports this, describing it as believed; Korea Economic Daily notes nomination records are kept secret for 50 years.
- Whether the committee will respond to the proposal to suspend the prize. The suggestion comes from one academic, and no response from the committee is reported.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Korea Economic Daily reports Norwegian concern about Trump's reaction ahead of the announcement. [ 1 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily reports the proposal to suspend the prize for three years. [ 2 ]
- Maeil Business reports on the announcement and the possible candidates. [ 3 ]
- Scheduled announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Korea time. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]