{"id":2198627,"date":"2022-08-29T17:42:55","date_gmt":"2022-08-29T08:42:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/pro\/?p=2198627"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:11:42","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:11:42","slug":"what-a-trump-comeback-would-mean-for-south-koreas-reset-with-the-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/08\/what-a-trump-comeback-would-mean-for-south-koreas-reset-with-the-us\/","title":{"rendered":"What a Trump comeback would mean for South Korea\u2019s reset with the US"},"content":{"rendered":"
There are <\/span>growing indicators<\/span><\/a> that former U.S. President Donald Trump will soon announce his candidacy for the 2024 election \u2014 a development that could have profound consequences for future U.S.-South Korea relations.<\/span><\/p>\n Since taking office, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has invested significantly in \u201c<\/span>rebuilding<\/span><\/a>\u201d relations with the U.S., including joining the <\/span>Indo-Pacific Economic Framework <\/span><\/a>(IPEF), enhancing <\/span>cooperation with NATO<\/span><\/a>, discussing the reintroduction of <\/span>U.S. strategic assets<\/span><\/a> to the peninsula and weighing participation in the U.S. <\/span>Chip 4 semiconductor alliance<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n But these efforts have come at the cost of provoking Beijing, which has become increasingly vocal about issues like <\/span>THAAD missile interceptors<\/span><\/a> in South Korea. Amid growing strategic competition between the U.S. and China, Yoon\u2019s decisions have thus not been cost-free and could even come back to bite Seoul in the event of big political changes in the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n And <\/span>with momentum building<\/span><\/a> surrounding a Trump political come-back, many experts warn his hostility toward South Korea and the U.S. alliance could cause chaos for Seoul in the event of an election win in 2024, something that could be possible if Biden\u2019s approval ratings <\/span>remain low<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n POLITICAL RISKS<\/b><\/p>\n While president, Trump <\/span>allegedly told<\/span><\/a> senior aides that he wanted to \u201cblow up\u201d the U.S.-Korea alliance if reelected, stating that he disliked working with former ROK President Moon Jae-in and describing the South Korean people as \u201c<\/span>terrible<\/span><\/a>,\u201d according to reports.<\/span><\/p>\n Much of Trump\u2019s disdain for South Korea appears linked to his long-standing grievance that Seoul has been <\/span>free-riding<\/span><\/a> on the security benefits of the alliance by <\/span>not paying its fair share<\/span><\/a> toward the cost of stationing U.S. troops.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe most substantial risk from a return of Trump to the White House would be the end of the alliance and withdrawal of U.S. troops,\u201d said Troy Stangarone, a senior director at the Korea Economic Institute (KEI).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere are factors that could mitigate Trump taking this course, but this is a much more real possibility under Trump than any president since Jimmy Carter campaigned on withdrawing U.S. troops,\u201d he continued.<\/span><\/p>\n