Trump’s election victory has led to much speculation in South Korea that he will return to direct diplomacy with North Korea, target South Korean companies with trariffs, cause turbulence in the US-ROK alliance, and cause a drop in the Korean won. So what do ROK Heads think will happen on the Korean peninsula over the next four years with Donald Trump as President?
Trump has brought back up the issue that South Korea should pay more for defense from U.S. troops however with the cost sharing deal recently concluded that extends to 2030, this seems like campaign rhetoric at this point. Trump is once again using a lot of hyperbole to make his greater point that allies should pay more for international security provided by U.S. troops:
Former President Donald Trump said Wednesday that America “cannot be taken advantage of any longer in trade and in the military,” reinforcing speculation that he could demand renegotiation of a recent defense cost-sharing deal with Seoul if he returns to office.
The Republican presidential candidate made the remarks during a televised town hall event hosted by Fox News, falsely claiming that South Korea does not pay for the stationing of the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).
“40,000 soldiers and we never get paid. South Korea, they don’t pay,” Trump said, apparently referring to 28,500 USFK service members.
“I made them pay. Everyone raised hell, and Biden took the deal, and he said they don’t pay anymore, and they’re a rich country. No … we have to start. We cannot be taken advantage of any longer in trade, in the military,” he added.
You can read more at the link.
North Korea’s statement is not entirely true because Trump and Kim’s personal relationship ushered in an era where there was far less provocations and antagonism compared to prior years:
North Korea on Tuesday dismissed former US President Donald Trump’s repeated boasts about his close relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a “lingering desire,” stating that their personal bond did not bring about “any substantial positive change.”
The statement, delivered through the state-run Korean Central News Agency, which is tailored more to external audiences than domestic ones, marked Pyongyang’s first official reaction to Trump’s campaign trail remarks. (…..)
“It is true that Trump, when he was president, tried to reflect the special personal relations between the heads of states in the relations between states, but he did not bring about any substantial positive change,” the commentary read.
“The foreign policy of a state and personal feelings must be strictly distinguished,” it added.
Pyongyang reiterated its stance that the ball is in the US court, urging the US to abandon what it labeled as a “hostile policy” toward North Korea in the commentary. Pyongyang considers the US extended deterrence commitment to South Korea in response to mounting threats from North Korea, such as the deployment of US strategic assets to the peninsula, as part of the hostile policy.
You can read more at the link.
There has been a lot of concern in South Korea that a second Trump presidency would see him asking the ROK to pay more for the upkeep of U.S. forces, instead it appears Trump will be targeting Taiwan instead:
“Tariffs are great economically and good for negotiations. U.S. President Joe Biden’s policies to foster electric vehicles have only added to inflation with subsidies.”
Former President Donald Trump hinted in an interview with U.S. economic media Bloomberg Business Week that there will be an upheaval in overall economic and industrial policies if he takes power. The interview was held at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida at the end of June before the shooting, but it was relentless as if it had already been elected. In fact, attention is drawn to the disclosure of the sketch of “Trumpnomics.”
In an interview released on the 16th (local time), former President Trump said, “The interest rate should remain as it is until the economy recovers,” and stressed, “The interest rate level is high now, so (the Biden administration) may want to cut interest rates, but it should not be done before the election.”
Maeil Business Newspaper
Here is where Trump discusses Taiwan:
Former President Trump attacked Taiwan for taking the U.S. semiconductor industry and saying it should be returned as defense expenses. Asked if he would defend Taiwan against China, he replied, “Taiwan has taken the U.S. semiconductor industry, so I think it should pay us for defense.” Former President Trump said, “Taiwan gives us nothing. But the United States is giving them billions of dollars to get them to produce semiconductors in the United States,” he pointed out.
You can read much more about Trumpnomics at the link.
