The government is busy preparing countermeasures ahead of the inauguration of the new U.S. administration.
Plenty of international issues, including Ukraine and the Middle East… Domestic approval ratings at risk due to falling approval rating
[더팩트ㅣ이헌일 기자] As President Yoon Seok-yeol has passed the turning point of his term, he will be working with the second term of Trump in the United States. As U.S. foreign policy is directly related to the global situation and economy on the Korean Peninsula, how President Yoon builds relationships with the Trump administration is expected to become a touchstone for performance in the fields of diplomacy and security.
According to the President’s Office on the 12th, President Yoon is in full swing in preparations in various fields such as diplomacy, security, and economy in preparation for the new administration that will be launched in January next year following the confirmation of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s victory.
On the 10th, an economic and security review meeting was held in response to changes in external conditions, and the effects of changes in external conditions, such as the launch of the new U.S. administration, were discussed with the Ministers of Strategy and Finance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Unification, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and key advisors from the President’s Office. did it
At this event, President Yoon said, “Once the new administration in Washington is launched and a new policy stance is set, there will be significant changes in the global economy and security.” “Intensive preparation is necessary,” he emphasized.
To this end, he ordered the immediate operation of a conference body in the three major fields of finance, trade, and industry, with the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs as the control tower. In addition, in the field of trade, he called for dialogue with industry, and in the field of defense and security, he called for maintaining deterrence against North Korea and securing leadership for peace in the Asia-Pacific region. This can be interpreted as a determination to examine expected scenarios and prepare countermeasures even before the new U.S. administration is formed.
After President-elect Trump’s victory was confirmed on the 7th, he spoke directly on the phone and offered congratulations. In a 12-minute phone call, President Yoon suggested that the ROK-US alliance continue to be a close partnership encompassing all areas of security and the economy, and President-elect Trump also readily responded that he hopes to continue the ROK-US cooperative relationship, according to the President’s Office. The two also agreed to lead joint leadership on the Korean Peninsula, the Indo-Pacific region, and the Korean Peninsula.
On the other hand, it is reported that he started practicing golf for the first time in 8 years since 2016 for the sake of summit diplomacy. President Trump is well known as a ‘golf enthusiast’ and owns 12 private golf courses in the United States alone.
President Yoon is having difficulty recovering momentum in state affairs as various suspicions surrounding him and First Lady Kim Kun-hee continue to spread. In various opinion polls, his approval rating continues to hit the lowest since he took office. However, in the field of diplomacy and security, it is important to continue the achievements based on the ROK-US alliance in the future, as he left symbolic footprints such as the Washington Declaration and Camp David Declaration in Korea-US and Korea-US-Japan relations in the first half of his term.
In particular, there are currently international issues such as the war in Ukraine and the war in the Middle East, and attention is being paid to the impact they will have on the Korean economy. North Korea is also aggravating security threats by sending troops to Russia, missile provocations, and distributing waste balloons. Considering the position of the United States in the international community and the political situation on the Korean Peninsula, how President Yoon aligns himself with the Trump administration in the future will not only determine the performance in the fields of diplomacy and security, but can also have a significant impact on the economy.
Kim Tae-hyo, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office of the President’s Office, said in a briefing after the meeting on the 10th, “Even before the appointment of key posts, including the White House staff who will lead the foreign affairs and security of the new Trump second term administration, is completed, we will look at major issues and prepare for them.” “We will prepare in advance,” he said. “In the meantime, we will look at the security-related policy vision and promises that President-elect Trump presented during the presidential campaign, and analyze and examine the impact on our security and economic security.” “It is,” he said.
