There are growing indicators that former U.S. President Donald Trump will soon announce his candidacy for the 2024 election — a development that could have profound consequences for future U.S.-South Korea relations.

Since taking office, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has invested significantly in “rebuilding” relations with the U.S., including joining the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), enhancing cooperation with NATO, discussing the reintroduction of U.S. strategic assets to the peninsula and weighing participation in the U.S. Chip 4 semiconductor alliance.

But these efforts have come at the cost of provoking Beijing, which has become increasingly vocal