Andrew Yeo said, "The second Trump will launch during the Korean turmoil, but the alliance will be maintained."

With South Korea in political turmoil, a second U.S. Trump administration will be launched, but the Korea-U.S. alliance will be maintained.

Andrew Yeo, the Korean chair of the Brookings Institution, said in an online talk at the U.S. Institute for International Strategic Studies and CSIS on the 17th local time that the U.S. is South Korea's most important ally.

On the premise of an early presidential election, Andrew said he understands that no matter which party is in power, it will have to work with the United States, although there are concerns that the Democratic Party will be at odds with the United States if it takes power.

The chairwoman said the U.S. is expected to impose tariffs on South Korea or demand an increase in defense contributions, especially after the inauguration of the second Trump administration, but said she believes South Korea will be fine at least for the time being.

He also explained that although there are concerns that Trump could withdraw U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula if he does not receive the appropriate amount for the U.S., it will be very difficult to justify withdrawing or redeploying U.S. troops.

The chairwoman said that South Korea will have some leeway as it has leverage at a time when the second Trump administration is expected to implement a tough policy on China.

Regarding South Korean companies' investment in the U.S., he said he did not know whether they could maintain the level of investment as they did under Presidents Yoon Suk Yeol and Joe Biden, but added that he was not too worried about South Korea's foreign policy or relations with the U.S. in a broad sense.