Former US President Donald Trump (Yonhap)

After former US President Donald Trump called South Korea a "money machine," Korean news outlets on Wednesday grappled with how to best capture the nuance of his words for the Korean audience through translation.

Trump made the remarks during an interview with Bloomberg News at the Economic Club of Chicago while discussing the costs of maintaining US troops in South Korea.

"If I were there (in the White House) now, they (South Korea)’d be paying us $10 billion a year. And you know what? They’d be happy to do it," Trump said. "It’s a money machine, South Korea."

While "money machine" might seem straightforward in English, meaning “a very profitable scheme or institution, sometimes a derogatory term that disregards aesthetic or spiritual concerns in favor of making money," according to website YourDictionary, the term lacks a perfect equivalent in Korean for this context.

Local media outlets had to get creative with their translations — and they did.

Some focused on the “machine” part.

Chosun Ilbo, one of Korea’s largest newspapers, opted for "hyeongeum jadong jigeubgi" (현금 자동 지급기), which literally translates to "automatic cash dispenser." Other outlets translated it using Korean words that mean “money dispenser,” a term commonly used for ATMs in Korea, or described it as a money “making” machine or money “printing” machine.

These translations underscored Trump’s insinuation that South Korea is a convenient source of funds.

Hankyung Business, a vernacular daily, took a bolder approach with "donjul" (돈줄), which roughly translates to "cash flow source" and carries a negative connotation, portraying Korea as nothing more than a financial asset.

Despite the derogatory undertones of many of these translations, Yonhap News Agency interpreted the phrase differently, suggesting that "money machine" referred to a "rich country."

The variation in these translations highlights how local media outlets interpreted Trump’s words and shaped the narrative for their readers.

One of The Korea Herald's copy editors, a US citizen who asked to remain anonymous, finds the term "money machine" to be "frankly very rude and derogatory," noting that it is not commonly used in the US, especially when referring to another country.

According to freelance interpreter Son Ji-yoon, translating Trump’s remark is challenging due to the ambiguity of whether Trump intended to liken South Korea to an automated teller machine.

“While the term 'donjul,' or a 'guaranteed source of income,' could be considered, given his typical speaking style and other contextual clues, I believe translating it as 'ATM' is not entirely inaccurate,” Son told The Korea Herald.

On the other hand, interpreter Kwon Min-jung noted, “An ATM is a machine where you deposit money and then withdraw it, so it doesn't seem like that’s the intended meaning here. Rather, it seems more like Trump was referring to a machine that serves as a reliable source of funds, like a magic pouch — more in the sense of a 'money-producing machine' or 'money-making machine.'"

Shin Ji-hye contributed to this report.