[News UP] Representatives of the ruling and opposition parties visit the U.S. this week... in full swing contact with 'Trump aides'

■ Host: Anchor Yoon Jae-hee
■ Starring: Min Jeong-hoon, Professor of the American Research Department at the National Diplomatic Institute

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information. Please specify [YTN News UP] when quoting.

[Anchor]
Ahead of former President Trump's return to power, our government's steps are also getting busy. He is expanding his contact with Trump aides. For more information, I will look into it with Min Jeong-hoon, a professor of American Studies at the National Diplomatic Institute. Please come in. It was the day Trump was elected. On the 6th, Ambassador Cho Hyun-dong to the U.S. was dispatched to Florida. It's also a base for the transition team, so what's going on?

[Minjeonghun]
That's right. I understand that our Ministry of Foreign Affairs is making a lot of efforts to expand its contact with President-elect Trump quickly. That's why the Embassy of the United States is playing a lot of roles. The most important thing to do at the Embassy of the United States is to contact us when there is a Korea-U.S. summit. That's why our ambassador to the U.S. meets with key figures in the U.S. administration and discusses a lot of things like the president's schedule and agenda. Since former President Trump was elected again this time, it is now necessary to increase contact with key Trump officials to keep the relationship with the next U.S. administration smooth. That's why the ambassador to the U.S. is going down to Florida with our ambassador staff and making contact.

I'm sure there will be a lot of things to talk about.Among them, the part that draws the most attention is when President Yoon and President-elect Trump will meet. So, since you talked on the phone on the 7th and said, "Let's meet as soon as possible," various diplomats are talking about President Yoon going to Peru for the APEC summit on the 15th and 16th. Since you are attending the G20 summit in Brazil, I understand that you are thinking of such a schedule to meet with President-elect Trump on your way home or on your way back by coordinating your schedule and stopping in Washington, or Florida, or New York. However, the schedule is tight on the way home, so we can meet with President-elect Trump on the way back and have such a meeting to build friendship, so attention is being paid to this and there is nothing confirmed.Ma understands that our diplomatic authorities are closely communicating with the U.S. side.

[Anchor]
In this way, Ambassador Cho Hyun-dong to the U.S. is focusing on network formation from all directions. Former Foreign Minister Park Jin and ruling and opposition lawmakers are also going to the United States soon. First of all, it's a schedule to attend the Korea-U.S. Strategic Forum, but you're also trying to contact your president-elect's aides, right?

[Minjeonghun]
That's right. That's the most important underwater goal. What I just said is that at the administration level, you expand your contact with the next U.S. administration, and this is the part of expanding your contact with the U.S. at the congress level and at the congress level. As the media reports say, former Foreign Minister Park Jin is close to Senator Bill Hegerty, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Rice Priebus, the White House chief of staff in the early days of the first Trump administration, so he can serve as a bridge to smoothly meet key figures through such personal connections.

That's why I think it's very important to create this connection not only in the administration, but also in Congress and the National Assembly, with the people who will be influential in the next administration of the United States. I think it's a very positive thing to move quickly this time.

[Anchor]
President Yoon Suk Yeol is said to have re-golfed after eight years. Because Trump is now known as a golf fanatic. Many pointed out whether they are preparing for golf diplomacy. What do you think?

[Minjeonghun]
That's right. We need to think about the memories of 2016. In 2016, most of the media, including myself, did not expect much and did not weigh in on the possibility of Trump being elected. However, as a result of the election, candidate Trump was elected, so I remember being very busy preparing for the connection from then on. It was the same in Japan. It was the same in Japan, and I was predicting Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's victory, so I've been communicating with him a lot.

But when candidate Trump was elected, the fire fell on his feet. So, as you may remember, Prime Minister Abe at the time flew to New York in a hurry with a golf club. But it worked. So, due to the nature of candidate Trump, personal friendship is very important. As you may have seen at the Republican National Convention this time, most of the people who filled the stage are family members and Inner Circle people. So, personal friendship is very important, so in that respect, this golf meeting was effective. In fact, Prime Minister Abe had a lot of encounters with former President Trump during Trump's first term. That's why the honeymoon relationship became the basis for strengthening. Based on that experience, I think our president is also operating golf diplomacy. As I said, personal friendship and connection with President Trump are very important, so I think positively in this regard.

[Anchor]
An interesting video was also released, which became a hot topic. It was a picture taken in 2021. Please prepare it on the screen. Former President Trump met with the national flag chief at the Mar-a-Lago resort. I received a Taekwondo uniform as a gift and took a picture like that, and if you look closely, there is also a picture of Chairman Kim Jong-un meeting in Panmunjom on the back of the right screen. In fact, Trump is such an unpredictable and impromptu style, because he said that he loves Korea and that he will help Korea more. I love Korea. What does it mean?

[Minjeonghun]
To say that you love Korea, what you did when you met was to express your interest in Taekwondo. Taekwondo is a martial art in the United States, and it is a very useful sport in teaching children's spirit and attitude. That's why taekwondo academies are being activated in all communities across the United States. There are Koreans in the center. That's why Americans have a very positive perception of Taekwondo. Reflecting that, I understand that former President Trump also met with our national flag chief.

What you said there is important. In the case of President-elect Trump, he is interested in what kind of remarks he made because he understands his intentions and is reflected in policies, but as you said, he loves Korea. Koreans are great. That is why Korea has achieved rapid economic growth in the ruins of the war and praises the diligence, sincerity, and greatness of its people. In addition, it's your relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. As such, the summit meeting with Chairman Kim Jong-un in former President Trump's mind remains intense.

For this reason, I think there is a high possibility that there will be another encounter between the leaders of North Korea and the U.S. during the second period.In any case, since you mentioned a part that played a big role in the North American encounter at that time, you have a positive perception of Korea in terms of diplomatic security and economy, and that is Taekwondo diplomacy. I think it is meaningful in that it played a bridging role in this area.

[Anchor]
From our point of view, it is very important and interesting to see who will be in charge of the Korea-U.S. relationship and North Korea policy in the second Trump administration. What are the candidates?

[Minjeonghun]
It is still difficult to discuss the relationship between the U.S. and South Korea, the relationship between the U.S. and North Korea, and the Korean desk. Now that the election is over, we have to say a big ministerial greeting and there are some criticisms about it. That's why I think the person we're most interested in will be the appointment of the Secretary of State. This time, loyalty is said to be the most important criterion for the nomination of the second Trump administration. So those who will faithfully and strongly enforce what President Trump is doing without rebelling. So in general, if you look at the personnel group, the first one seems to be those who held out well without causing a disturbance with President Trump during the first Trump Cabinet.

The second is election campers. I think I'm getting credit for that because I won the election. The third is likely to be dominated by business leaders such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk, other hedge fund managers, and Big Tech CEO. Among them, the secretary of state thinks that the first cabinet members are the most likely. Robert O'Brien, the last national security adviser to the first Trump administration, and Richard Grinnell, who served as the ambassador to Germany in the first administration, are also strongly rising. Next, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and Republican Sen. Bill Hegerty are also on the list, so I think Trump will pick one of them.

[Anchor]
Among the characters mentioned, former Ambassador Richard Grinnell is said to have a strong relationship with Trump to the point where he calls him my bookmaker. At the same time, some point out that if we become Secretary of State, this person has publicly mentioned the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Korea, so we need more bargaining power from our point of view.

[Minjeonghun]
The first Trump administration even brought up the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea to increase defense cost sharing is known through autobiographies of close aides at that time. I'm thinking of it as a means of negotiation. However, using the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Korea as a bargaining chip was very uncomfortable for us and caused a lot of political controversy. Richard Grinnell, Robert O'Brien, they have different personalities.Ma is the one who will faithfully implement President-elect Trump's America Firstism anyway.

In that respect, Trump has mentioned a lot about the increase in defense cost sharing and the relocation of the U.S. military, so it reflects that. Nevertheless, they are not those who show extreme isolationism in Korea's strategic importance or other U.S. international roles, so I think that is a bargaining chip, and I think this can be resolved smoothly through communication between Korea and the U.S.

[Anchor]
Among the bargaining cards, the independent theory of nuclear armament is mentioned in the new part we need to have. What do you think about this?

[Minjeonghun]
If Trump becomes the second administration, the possibility of resuming dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea is being discussed. If that happens, wouldn't disarmament negotiations take place? If so, we should have various options because the fear of North Korea's nuclear weapons that our people have will increase. Nevertheless, I understand that the second Trump administration is not so positive and has not known about Korea's independent nuclear armament, other South Korea's nuclear weapons, redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons, or sharing nuclear weapons.

That is why, from our perspective, we need to open up the possibility of changing the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, especially the relationship between North Korea and the United States, and prepare various options.Ma thinks that it is not so desirable for domestic divisions or unnecessary domestic political controversy, as it is not too late to calmly see and respond to what is actually happening between the U.S. and North Korea.

[Anchor]
President-elect Trump has expressed considerable confidence in the North Korean issue, but it was pointed out that the situation is very different from four years ago. In particular, this part is representative of the close contact between North Korea and Russia, and it was early in the morning. It was known that Putin had already signed the North Korea-Russia Treaty, and there was a breaking news that Kim Jong-un had ratified it. What do you think about this?

[Minjeonghun]
I think it's a set procedure. Since the two leaders met and signed the treaty last June, I think we have ratified it domestically because we have reached an agreement. Both North Korea and Russia believe that it is necessary to maximize their strategic interests and bargaining power before the inauguration of Trump, that is, the second Trump administration. Therefore, I think it is a stepping stone to gain a more advantageous position in improving relations with the United States in the future through close ties with North Korea and Russia.

So I understand that even in the Russia-Ukraine war, there's a lot of fierce fighting in the Kursk region and the Donbas region. If Trump takes office, there is a possibility that he will enter negotiations to end the war, so he will make the situation as favorable as possible before entering negotiations. So it's preparing for negotiations from a military perspective. What we are discussing now is what North Korea and Russia are taking to increase their negotiating power with the United States in terms of diplomacy.

In any case, the North Korea-Russia alliance, or cooperation, continues and both countries have a strategy to maximize the relationship between the two countries as much as possible, but on the other hand, the second Trump administration may clearly change North Korea-Russia relations and North Korea-US relations. In this area, there may be a change from mirror relations to mirror relations, and since it is a strategic step in this area, it can be expected that if President Trump makes efforts to improve relations after the inauguration, Russia or North Korea will also respond.

[Anchor]
The treaty takes effect only when North Korea and Russia exchange ratifications, so is there a possibility that the two leaders will meet again to show Trump?

[Minjeonghun]
When the two leaders met next year, so last June, they said that Kim Jong-un could be invited back to Russia next year. That's according to the schedule, so I'll have to wait and see.Regarding the possibility of a meeting between the two leaders before the second Trump administration, which will take place on January 20 next year, Ma thinks it will not be easy because the schedule is very tight.In any case, we cannot completely rule out the possibility in that regard, as North Korea is sending troops and contributing greatly to the military, especially in the war between Russia and Ukraine, the strategic interests between the two countries are at their peak.Ma, as I said, increases cooperation, but I think the possibility of the two leaders meeting before January 20 next year will not be easy due to schedule coordination.

[Anchor]
North Korea is also likely to be engaged in a fierce struggle ahead of the launch of the second Trump administration, and it seems that it will use its close ties with Russia more actively. Is there a possibility that this will lead the U.S. to abandon the principle of North Korea's denuclearization?

[Minjeonghun]
I think we'll have to wait and see. From North Korea's point of view, it continued military cooperation with Russia as much as possible in the future, and anyway, North Korea sent troops to Russia's war. This story created a foundation for Russia to help North Korea and provide military support in times of war or military crisis. That part. And we can get military support, we can get economic support, and as we discuss today, we can strategically lay the groundwork for improving relations with the United States in the future, revitalizing summit diplomacy, and we can help maximize our bargaining power. So, from North Korea's point of view, increasing cooperation with Russia is a necessary situation that is very advantageous in many ways.

That's why we're continuing to increase cooperation. From the standpoint of the United States, there is no urgency. President Trump will miss it while emphasizing his relationship with Kim Jong-un, emphasizing some kind of relationship, and wanting to meet him. We're talking about this, but as we discussed, the United States has to resolve the two wars. There will be priorities in the Russia-Ukraine war or the Israel-Hamas war, and when there is a lull in the Russia-Ukraine war and Russia's calculation method or North Korea's calculation method can change, so North Korean leader Kim Jong-un also has a relationship with Russian President Putin.

Therefore, even if President Trump sends a love call, isn't it difficult to react immediately? Therefore, there is a possibility of a meeting between the United States and North Korea when the atmosphere gradually intertwines with each other. Until then, the United States has no reason to express any position on the denuclearization calculation method. So giving up denuclearization is a very important bargaining chip, but giving up that card before the negotiations even begin and before the two leaders meet is impossible considering President Trump's trading skills.

And there are still many such diverse scenarios in Washington because there is an absolute majority of voices calling for the denuclearization of North Korea.I think the second Trump administration will also pursue a big deal like the first with the aim of complete denuclearization of North Korea. Of course, the process can be coordinated in the middle.There are many different scenarios.Until then, Ma is thinking that the second Trump administration will maintain the goals shown in the first period.

[Anchor]
I see. That's all for today. I was with Professor Min Jeong-hoon of the American Research Department of the National Diplomatic Institute. Thank you.