Kim Gun "Trump to negotiate nuclear weapons with Kim Jong-un, but there is no passing of South Korea"

[YTN Radio News Fighting Youngsoo Kim]

□ Broadcasting: FM 94.5 (07:15-09:00)
□ Broadcast date and time: January 21, 2025 (Tue)
□ Host: Youngsoo Kim Anchor
□ Cast: Kim Gun, a member of the People's Power,

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information.

[Please clarify that this is the interview content of YTN Radio <News Fighting>]]

◆ Youngsoo Kim Anchor (hereinafter referred to as Youngsoo Kim): We will continue with the issue interview. He will be joined by Kim Gun, a member of the People's Power, who is the secretary of the ruling party of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee. Let's share the news of the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States, Trump, in more detail, and look at domestic issues. Please come in.

◇ Member for the People's Power (hereinafter referred to as Kim Gun): Yes, nice to meet you. It's Kim Gun.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Yes, welcome. Rep. Kim Gun served as the head of the Foreign Ministry, right? So I invited you because I thought you would be well aware of diplomatic issues. President Trump's inauguration ceremony was held, and the second Trump was officially launched. Did you see the inauguration ceremony today?

◇ [Kim Gun] Yes, I saw it.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: How was it? What was the most impressive scene?

◇ Kim Gun: From the beginning, he said "Golden Age" and ended it with that, so I think he strongly expressed his will to bring back the golden age of the United States through the America First policy.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Did you emphasize the Golden Age? What does that mean?

◇ [Kim Gunn] Isn't it America now that Make America Great Again Make America Grey Again is now a slogan? I think it's an expression of the will to reopen the golden age of the United States.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Yes, I think America's priority will be strengthened further. How do you think it will strengthen?

◇ [Kim Gunn] But in today's speech, there's actually very little talk about international issues other than the Panama Canal. Most of them were domestic. So, border controls to prevent that illegal immigration, inflation, and most importantly, we're going to scrap our progressive policies. There were a lot of comments like this. And now that oil and gas development, and so on, that's what came out now about inflation, and basically, I think I'm trying to convey a message of unity. So, I think Hispanics and a lot of those black people offered to resign for supporting him and then said, "Let's go to integration."

◆ Youngsoo Kim: I was worried because you said you would impose a high tariff as soon as you took office, but was there any talk of tariffs?

◇ [Kim Gunn] There's also talk of tariffs. So now that we're going to create an organization that's in charge of customs duties, isn't the US IRS now? It's the Internet Levi's service, and I'm going to create an Extended Levi's service that will be in charge of customs duties. There was a story like this, too.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: I'm worried. If we put a high rate of US tariffs on other countries, wouldn't other countries also put retaliatory tariffs on them?

◇ [Kim Gunn] That's right. But now, on the issue of tariffs, it actually has the effect of shrinking the global economy when we start to impose tariffs on each other. In the future, we need to see how each country responds to that and how to negotiate with the United States.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Yes, sir. And the ruling and opposition party members of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee are now heading to the United States. Did you attend the inauguration?

◇ Kim Gun: Because of the cold snap, the inauguration ceremony was held in the Parliament House with a very small group of people in the Rotunda.
◆ Youngsoo Kim: Only 600 people?

◇ Kim Gun: Since we invited only about 600 people, our delegation is now in the parliament building next to the rotunda. But in fact, isn't it more important to meet various U.S. Congress members on the occasion than to attend the inauguration? So I've already met with Kevin MacLeish, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, and now I'm going to meet several members of Congress, including Young Kim, the chairman of the House of Representatives, and Chris Van Hollen, the chairman of the House of Representatives. So, I think it will be a fruitful visit to the U.S., considering that such activities will be fruitful.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Yes, it was good to see that the ruling and opposition parties moved together. Also, I hope you play hard for the national interest of our country. However, President Trump recently mentioned that Korea is in chaos. Where did this mention come from?

◇ Kim Gun: That's what CBS now reported about President Trump's confidants. It's not a public statement, so it's hard to verify how accurate it is. However, one thing I can see now is that if President Trump said this, President Trump is now watching the situation in Korea closely, and the other thing is that diplomacy with Korea should be done after the situation is cleared up. I think I can infer this much.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: I see. If you go into the domestic issue a little bit, the intrusion of President Yoon's supporters in the Western District Court. There is an evaluation that this is similar to the U.S. invasion of the Capitol four years ago, so how do you see it?

◇ Kim Gun: Well, I think you can evaluate it like that.Ma has all the circumstances of each country, so I don't think it's appropriate to compare them unilaterally like this.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: The United States is also reporting on this situation.

◇ [Kim Gunn] In the United States, in fact, the general public is not that interested in our domestic politics. But now among those protesters, are the Trump supporters of the United States 2020? Isn't there a slogan that you used then? They probably use the same flag as us because they write the same slogan about rigged elections. I think it's just a reaction, but I think Korean experts in the U.S. now have confidence that Korea will sort things out through some democratic resilience even through this process.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Yes, sir. Let me ask you something about North Korea's foreign policy. I'm a Korean American. Representative Young Kim. Young Kim, you've been elected three times, right?

◇ Kim Gun: Yes, so this time, he became the Asia-Pacific subcommittee chairman.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Oh, I see. Yes, North Korea's appeasement, China's college entrance exam, is described as an impeachment force. He said it would bring great disaster to the Korean Peninsula. Is this the view of the current Republican political circles in the United States? Can I look at it like that?

◇ Kim Gun: Now, the United States is now competing with China in this region according to China's growth, isn't it? It's kind of a struggle, but in that situation, the interest of the United States probably seems to be very wary of the domestic political situation in Korea going in the direction of increasing China's influence. You can think that such a boundary has now come out with this statement.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Yes, but Kim's comment will bring great disaster to the Korean Peninsula, where impeachment forces are North Korea's appeasement and China's CSAT. What do you think about Rep. Kim's perception?

◇ Kim Gun: I think the same. Because if you look at the first prosecution of the impeachment now, it says that North Korea, China, and Russia, ignoring the geopolitical balance, antagonizing North Korea, China, and Russia, and insisting on a bizarre foreign policy centered on Japan, caused isolation in Northeast Asia and triggered a crisis of war. So this is actually a misconception that shakes the foundation of our diplomacy, so I am also concerned about this.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Is this impeachment force referring to the political establishment?

◇ [Kim Gunn] That's what it looks like. It could be a political community, or we could talk about people with this perception.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Many of our people think impeachment is necessary. However, the entire impeachment force does not perceive that North Korea's appeasement, China's CSAT, and that it will bring about a great disaster on the Korean Peninsula.

◇ [Kim Gunn] That's right. But isn't it now time for such content in the first prosecution of the impeachment? Of course, fortunately, it was excluded from the second prosecution. Since this content is causing a stir
◆ Youngsoo Kim: Out of the 2nd impeachment motion?

◇ [Kim Gunn] Yes, but I think a lot of people are shocked when they look at the first prosecution.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: I see. Representative Lee Jae-myung said that a new strategy should be prepared with a strong Korea-U.S. alliance in relation to the launch of the second Trump period. How do you rate Lee's diplomatic moves?

◇ Kim Gun: In fact, at the end of the 19th century, didn't we become a colony of Japanese imperialism? In the process, the process was not just easy, but Russia, China, and Japan fought each other and went to war in the region. As a result, we are now in a terrible colonial situation, and since 1945, we have brought in American forces, which are offshore forces, and in fact, we have achieved peace and prosperity by balancing power in this region based on the Korea-U.S. alliance. This is the basis of our foreign relationship. So there is a considerable risk of getting out of here, and in that sense, CEO Lee Jae-myung has raised a lot of concern for us because of what he said before. I think we should try to get rid of those things as soon as possible.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Representative Lee Jae-myung has caused controversy in the past by describing the U.S. military as an occupying force, what do you think of this part?

◇ [Kim Gunn] The same goes for that. In fact, the Korea-U.S. alliance is an alliance that we took the initiative in persuading the United States. So I don't think we should tear down the foundation of the United States because it is our basic foreign policy to bring the United States, an offshore force, to the region, and to maintain peace and prosperity in the region through the Korea-U.S. alliance.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Yes, I think some people in the Trump administration are suspicious of the Democratic Party. How do you see that?

◇ Kim Gun: So that's what the first impeachment bill says, and then Sisi's remarks and occupiers' remarks, so of course, there can be that view in the United States. So, since you have recently said that the Korea-U.S. alliance is strong, I think these concerns should be dispelled through clear remarks and actions.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: I see. Regarding the launch of the second Trump term, Representative Lee Jae-myung said, "We need to come up with a new strategy with a strong alliance between the U.S. and South Korea." And it's controversial that Hegseth, the nominee for defense secretary, refers to North Korea as a nuclear power. It's something we can't admit.

◇ Kim Gun: Oh, I think that's a little misunderstood. Because in the international community, the term nuclear power is now used as the term "Nuclei Webfence Data." But now the expression that Minister Hexes wrote in the MPT Award is New Clear Power. So, in the case of the U.S. Department of Defense, it is now New Clear Power over how to express this because North Korea has to implement a defense policy in the reality of having nuclear weapons. This does not mean that we immediately recognize nuclear possession because we have to have military power and deterrence against New Clear Power.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: I see. If it is recognized as a nuclear power, can North Korea of course make a counterproposal to reduce nuclear weapons?

◇ Kim Gun: I don't think there is a chance that North Korea will be recognized for its nuclear possession. That's because the MPT system itself is collapsing.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Yes, sir. And a nominee for secretary of state. It's Mark Rubier. He is a nominee for secretary of state, but he hinted at a policy revision, saying that no sanctions could prevent North Korea's nuclear weapons program. What changes are expected?

◇ Kim Gun: Every time every administration comes in, we always do a policy review of what we're going to do with North Korea policy. But isn't the North Korean issue now a complicated problem that cannot be solved so easily? So someone says, "This is the only option that I have now, but there is no good alternative." So this time again, we're probably going to review this very broad policy, but we don't know how it's going to come to a conclusion.Ma believes that it is difficult to find such a groundbreaking solution overnight, and that we have no choice but to be patient and continue denuclearization efforts based on existing policies. Minister Rubio has already said two things. One is that we shouldn't bring a security crisis on the Korean Peninsula. Second, I said that it shouldn't spread nuclear weapons. So, if it's based on that, I think we should look at this from that perspective because we have no choice but to maintain the basic line of denuclearization.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: I see. In Korea, there is a claim that tactical nuclear redeployment is independent of nuclear armament. What do you think of this argument?

◇ [Kim Gunn] Tactical nuclear redeployment is actually not that useful militarily, because the U.S. extended deterrence is very effectively confronting North Korea's nuclear threat right now. So, whether you put it in Guam or deploy it on the Korean Peninsula, if it's deployed on the Korean Peninsula, it's actually only a target for the other party. So I think there's a little problem in terms of this military utility. Next, this nuclear armament is an alternative that we cannot pursue as long as we have an MPD system, so neither of these is a good option. In the end, I think the key is that we continue to have the ability to suppress North Korea's nuclear threat by strengthening extended deterrence.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: I see. Yes, in the case of tactical nuclear redeployment. Should I say it's a base where the U.S. has nuclear weapons? Should I say that the base is Guam?

◇ Kim Gun: So you can deploy it to Guam when you need it. in Guam

◆ Youngsoo Kim: I see. Then, currently,

◇ Kim Gun: Actually, the most important thing is SLBM, right? The fact that submarines are in this area now means that they now have nuclear weapons in an area not far away.
◆ Youngsoo Kim: Submarine-launched ballistic missile. You're talking about nuclear missiles.

◇ [Kim Gunn] That's right. So sometimes, I call at Busan Port to show that there's something like that. Yes, that's why I'm showing it to you, right? That SLBM is now aimed at some kind of inhibitory effect.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: I see. U.S. troops in South Korea will be pulled out of Trump's second phase to significantly raise defense costs. How do you expect this concern and prospect to come out?

◇ [Kim Gunn] Well, there's definitely a possibility. I'm sure there is. During the first period of the Trump administration, didn't we start with 5 billion dollars and eventually after negotiations, we made a significant increase? Well, that doesn't mean we paid $5 billion. Yes, so there are already talks about $10 billion this time, but this is a negotiation, especially over the amount, so I think it's best for our negotiation strategy to show that we don't worry about it.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: During the first Trump administration, we also demanded a significant increase in defense costs. That's right. How was it negotiated then?

◇ Kim Gun: We asked for $5 billion and made it the most important issue at the summit, so we negotiated it and achieved an appropriate level of defense increase.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: Were there any complaints from President Trump at the time?

◇ Kim Gun: It was hard then. So negotiations have gone on two occasions, one year first without negotiating for many years and then a compromise agreement for many years and so on.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: I see. President Trump's story came out and North Korea's nuclear story came out. President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un met twice in 2018 and 2019. Yes, I think there is a high possibility that we will meet again this time.

◇ [Kim Gunn] Now, of course, in President Trump, the side will push for that. Because now President Trump saw the possibility of North Korea in the first term. the developer of the property

◆ Youngsoo Kim: No? Yes

◇ Kim Gun: That's why President Trump met with Kim Jong-un in the sense that North Korea can become a much more prosperous and prosperous country if we give up nuclear weapons and join hands with the United States. Then, it presented a new future, but now it was not successful. That's a problem for the North Korean side. Because Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un always hesitated to come out on such a path to reform and opening up. Because it's like, "Can it protect the regime now?" So I think that kind of attempt would be made by the Trump administration. But the question now is whether Kim Jong Un will respond.
◆ Youngsoo Kim: I see. I'll give you a short last question. I think there is a possibility that President Trump may pass our country and negotiate directly with North Korea on nuclear weapons.

◇ Kim Gun: I don't think that's a possibility. Because uh President Trump doesn't want the alliance to take on a lot of pressure? So even if we make a deal with North Korea, we will have to bear the burden.

◆ Youngsoo Kim: I see. Thank you very much. So far, I've been with Kim Gun, a member of the People's Power. Thank you.

◇ [Kim Gun] Yes, thank you.