Experts urge Moon, Trump to demonstrate unity, strong alliance
Experts on Sunday called for the leaders of South Korea and the United States to use their upcoming summit as a chance to reaffirm their strong alliance and dismiss worries over possible differences on major issues.
US President Donald Trump will arrive in Seoul on Tuesday for a two-day visit as part of his first Asia trip as head of state, and will hold a summit with President Moon Jae-in later in the day.
His visit to South Korea comes amid high tensions caused by the North's sixth and most powerful nuclear blast test in September and a series of ballistic missile launches.
"The most important thing is to demonstrate that South Korea and the US closely coordinate over the North with the same objectives," said Yun Duk-min, former chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy. "It would be very bad for any differences to be exposed."
Chun Young-woo, who served as former President Lee Myung-bak's senior secretary for foreign affairs and national security, echoed the view.
"It is most important to manage things without causing any cacophony (during Trump's visit and the summit)," Chun said.
"Resolving any existing misunderstanding and mistrust through the meeting is in and of itself important, but more importance should be attached to keep such feelings from brewing out."
There have been cases in which Moon and Trump have showed their apparent differences on how to deal with the recalcitrant North.
The Seoul government has been seeking to resume talks with the North under President Moon's so-called dual track approach that puts emphasis both on pressure and dialogue to resolve the nuclear problem.
The Trump administration, meanwhile, seems to be adamant that there should be meaningful change in the North's behavior before any talks start.
Ratcheting up tensions, Trump has also engaged in a war of words with North Korea, in which both suggested possible military action against each other.
Against this backdrop, concerns mounted that South Korea could be bypassed from any unilateral action by the US against the North and the two allies might not be on the same page in dealing with the reclusive state.
"No matter what, all will boil down to the North's nuclear weapons and the alliance between South Korea and the US when Trump visits here," said Kim Sung-han, a professor at Korea University. "Heeding the concerns that the two countries are not on the same wavelength, the leaders must make sure that it is not the case."
Experts are a little divided over how the Seoul government should react to the US' pressure-oriented approach towards the North.
Some said that it would not be good for Trump's visit and the summit to be used as a venue to vent differences on the front, urging the Moon government to restrain from emphasizing its push for talks with the North.
Others claimed that the allies should send out a message that they will closely cooperate in putting the maximum amount of pressure on the North so as to bring it to talks on its denuclearization.
They still worried that the two could run into some discord over such sensitive issues as the ongoing renegotiation of the five-year-old free trade agreement and upcoming talks on cost-sharing of the US troops stationed in South Korea.
Trump has accused the FTA of destroying many American jobs and causing a huge deficit to his country. He has also demanded South Korea take up more of the cost of maintaining about 30,000 US troops on its soil.
Experts called for the Seoul government to be well prepared for any possible unexpected remarks by Trump on those issues during his trip here, which could derail efforts to demonstrate unity and a strong alliance through their summit. (Yonhap)
-
Trump won't stop making a deceptive bird claim. Experts debunk it.Jeff Bezos reportedly hacked directly by Saudi crown prince over WhatsApp发扬红十字精神 为加快建设绿色发展示范市作贡献NK fired 2 'strategic cruise missiles' from submarine Sunday: KCNANew image shows the North Star is changing. And it has spots.Data breach leaks personal information of tens of thousands of college studentsNK fired 2 'strategic cruise missiles' from submarine Sunday: KCNAPublic land ownership tax: Solution to inequality or infringement of rights?A Global Tour of Bakeries With Fascinating Histories加快项目建成投产达效 让245亿投资发挥效益
- ·17 Spectacular Outdoor Staircases
- ·Military border mission: Scheduled to end in a month, probably no more troops coming.
- ·提起老广的靓鸡,直咽口水|广东年货大摸底靓鸡篇
- ·科教兴院 人才强院
- ·50 Years Later: The Revolutionary 8008 Microprocessor
- ·Wasim Akram formally inducted into PCB Hall of Fame
- ·South Korea, US conduct joint air drills in response to North Korea's ICBM test
- ·Oscar Mayer is releasing a hot dog
- ·[Exclusive] Samsung unsure of Suga's future as brand ambassador: source
- ·新春送暖!江门市开展2024年“三支一扶”高校毕业生新春慰问活动
- ·Inside Twitter's effort to change conversations with topics
- ·Inside Twitter's effort to change conversations with topics
- ·A Journey Into the Mind of Stephen King
- ·Trump blasts Macron over "European army" and trade
- ·S. Korea, US, Japan can achieve bigger success when working together: Ned Price
- ·Creepy wooden Melania Trump statue now overlooks her hometown
- ·Garmin Fenix 8 vs. Apple Watch Ultra: The Fenix wins big on battery life
- ·Oscar Mayer is releasing a hot dog
- ·Horrifying video of uncooked meat crawling off a table will ruin you
- ·In letter to quake
- ·全国土壤普查办抽验组到广东开展土壤普查质量抽验
- ·I can't stop watching this overdubbed video of a duck falling asleep in class
- ·Trump and Saudi Arabia: The president is taking America’s long
- ·Robert Mueller's 'I take your question' response is turning into a beautiful meme
- ·SCOTUS: The courts implementing Project 2025, without Trump.
- ·S. Korea rejects N. Korea's claim of artillery firing near inter
- ·How much for Oasis tickets? Fans joke about splurging on reunion shows
- ·Facebook official struggles to explain Bezos' WhatsApp hack
- ·Democrats need to find an effective counter to the GOP’s bigotry.
- ·新春送暖!江门市开展2024年“三支一扶”高校毕业生新春慰问活动
- ·阳江村K开麦,阳西3人晋级!
- ·Here's what Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg meant by being 'understood'
- ·US unveils national strategy to counter cybercrimes by N. Korea, others
- ·提起老广的靓鸡,直咽口水|广东年货大摸底靓鸡篇
- ·How to trademark your TikTok phrase and protect your brand
- ·Migrant caravan: LGBTQ migrants arrive in Tijuana.