[尹One-on-One] On Trump's Election: "Minimizing Korea's Loss... Close Korea-US-Japan Discussions Will Take Place"

"South Korea-US-Japan Cooperation Progressing Well... Preparing Tangible Results"
"Don't Know How to Use Tricks to Raise Approval Ratings"
"Will Show the People Changes and Renewal"
On Mrs. Kim Controversy: "Couples Need to Argue More"

President Yoon Suk-yeol is delivering a "National Address and Press Conference" on the morning of the 7th at the briefing room of the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News.

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 7th that in response to concerns that the election victory of former President Donald Trump would increase uncertainty in the South Korean economy, "We are making multifaceted efforts to minimize economic losses for our people," adding, "While it cannot be said to be exactly the same as during the Biden administration, preparations for risk hedging have been underway for a long time."

At a press conference held at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the same day, President Yoon explained, "Our country, which has a high dependence on external factors, must earn a lot of money through exports," and added, "We need to meet President-elect Trump directly and respond first to the (U.S.) policy priorities with aides who are concretely formulating and pushing policies, so the government is busy."

Regarding cooperation with President-elect Trump on North Korea, President Yoon said, "President-elect Trump made efforts toward denuclearization during his presidency, but in a way, there was great disappointment," and added, "I expect to receive reports on how much North Korea's nuclear technology and capabilities have changed, and after receiving those reports, there will be opportunities to meet either bilaterally or with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba, the three of us."

When asked about how he plans to build a friendship with President-elect Trump, who values personal bonds, President Yoon said, "I have heard from members of both the U.S. House and Senate from both parties that I and President-elect Trump seem to have good 'chemistry,'" adding, "I believe we can work well without any problems."

Below is a Q&A session.

You had your first phone call with President-elect Trump this morning. What was discussed?

▲We spoke for about 10 minutes around 8 a.m. Naturally, I first congratulated him, and we discussed having a strong alliance and partnership based on the South Korea-U.S. alliance in the Asia-Pacific global region. We talked about the significant damage caused to our people by North Korea's trash balloons, GPS jamming, and indiscriminate launches of ICBMs (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles), IRBMs (Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missiles), and SRBMs (Short-Range Ballistic Missiles). He suggested meeting soon to discuss a lot of information and measures. Since North Korea's nuclear weapons are delivered by missiles, ICBMs and SRBMs are all related to nuclear issues. He also asked if I was aware that South Korean shipbuilding companies are repairing U.S. Navy vessels. He emphasized that cooperation in this area is very important because the U.S. shipbuilding industry has declined significantly. I responded that we are eager to participate actively as it is work for the U.S. economy and security. Today, the conversation was mostly congratulatory.

With President Trump elected in the U.S. and Prime Minister Ishiba inaugurated in Japan last month, what is the outlook for the South Korea-U.S.-Japan relationship?

▲Not everything changes 100% just because the U.S. administration changes. Security cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan is currently functioning well. Joint military exercises are also being conducted. Live exercises are very important because they differ from desk exercises by using various weapon systems directly and sharing a great deal of military intelligence. I believe this will be well maintained. The trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan covers military security, economic security, industrial sectors, and foreign policy coordination. President-elect Trump has initiated efforts focusing on businesses, and during President Biden's administration, we led the Camp David summit last year in line with normalizing South Korea-Japan relations. I believe this momentum will continue.

I expect to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba as well, and whether bilaterally or trilaterally, if the opportunity arises, more meaningful and intimate discussions can take place. Next year marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan in 1965, and Japan will host the Osaka Expo. Our Korean residents in Japan also hope that South Korea-Japan relations will take a new leap with a fresh blueprint next year. Above all, the normalization of relations has created tangible conditions for businesspeople from both countries. Next year, the public and private sectors will join forces to create a new blueprint so that South Korea-Japan relations can yield tangible results that benefit the lives of our people.

President-elect Trump said during his campaign that he would raise tariffs on all imported products by 10% or 20%. What is your government's strategy?

▲South Korea has a strong global comprehensive alliance with the U.S. Looking at past exports, exports to China were higher than those to the U.S., but more than 50% of exports to China should be considered as exports to the U.S. because many of the products sent to China are finished goods that then go to the U.S. Ultimately, the U.S. market is absolutely important for both China and South Korea. If a general tariff of 10-20% is applied, it will be the same for all countries, so competitiveness with U.S. companies will decline, but the overall impact will not be significant. If the U.S. imposes special super tariffs on China, China's economy will likely face considerable difficulties. Although labor costs in China are still low, they have risen somewhat. If China lowers export prices drastically and engages in dumping in the international market, our companies will find it difficult to maintain high prices to compete, especially in semiconductors.

High-bandwidth memory (HBM) or high-spec products are fine, but China also produces 50nm and 70nm semiconductors used in automobiles quite well. Many of these are exported to the U.S. If a super tariff of 60% is imposed, China might engage in dumping in the international market to compete with us, which would indirectly harm our sales. While direct issues like negotiating the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) for defense cost-sharing and paying more are important, they are secondary. Since our country has a very high dependence on external factors, we must earn a lot through exports. Although these issues and risks cannot be said to be the same as during the Biden administration, we are currently making multifaceted efforts to minimize damage and economic losses to our people.

How will President Yoon build a friendship with President-elect Trump going forward?

▲I have also built many relationships with members of both parties in the U.S. House and Senate. They have long said that President Yoon and President-elect Trump would have good 'chemistry.' I have good relations with former high-ranking officials from the Trump administration and influential Republican lawmakers in both chambers, and they have promised to help build a strong relationship with President Trump. So, I believe we can work well without any problems. Since the time it became likely that Trump would be elected, people I know have asked me for his phone number so they could contact him. I provided it. When I expressed concerns that Trump's policies might be unfavorable to our companies, they assured me not to worry and that they would handle things so that Korean companies would not suffer significant damage. Of course, we are preparing issues and response strategies related to industrial competitiveness with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Is there a possibility of direct weapons support from South Korea to Ukraine?

▲From the perspective of our foreign policy principles of internationalism, pacifism, and humanitarianism, we should help where we can. So far, we have focused on humanitarian and economic support. However, there are two factors related to North Korea that must be considered. North Korea's deployment to Russia is disguised as mercenaries, and sensitive military technology that could critically threaten our security might be transferred from Russia to North Korea. The special forces deployed by North Korea are highly trained, so although they may initially suffer heavy losses due to lack of field adaptation, over time, as they gain experience in modern warfare, this could pose a critical problem for our security. Therefore, support will be adjusted step-by-step depending on North Korea's level of involvement in the war, moving beyond the previous humanitarian and pacifist approach. Weapons support is not excluded. We will have to observe the situation going forward. If weapons support is provided, defensive weapons will be prioritized.

Yonhap News

You did not attend the opening ceremony of the 22nd National Assembly and the next year's budget address. What was the reason?

▲I am someone who really wants to go to the National Assembly, and I definitely want to go next year. However, during my first year in office, when I went to deliver the budget address, the party with the majority of seats staged a picket protest in the Rotunda Hall and did not enter the plenary session, so I ended up speaking in front of less than half of the members. Although I received much applause, I thought this was inappropriate. The second time, when everyone came in and I was invited to speak, they turned their backs and only clapped once or twice, refusing handshakes and even jeering. The president's attendance at the National Assembly is not mandatory but a right to speak. Even if there is political conflict, the president going to the National Assembly should show the public basic protocol behavior for that day. But I am not sure if showing up amid such chaos helps the National Assembly. Also, impeachment is an exceptional measure for serious crimes, but the opposition is abusing it, repeatedly proposing special investigation laws and overusing summons powers. This is essentially telling me not to come to the National Assembly.

Actually, I was preparing to attend this time as well, but most of what I prepared was already delivered by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. I heard that during the Prime Minister's budget address, there were remarks like "Yoon Suk-yeol should come." Inviting me to the National Assembly seems like "I want to embarrass you in front of the public, so come and kneel down and be humiliated." This is not about revitalizing politics but about killing it. I will speak respectfully about the opposition in the budget address, and even if the opposition dislikes me politically and has been calling for my resignation until yesterday, if they respect that time, I would be willing to attend ten times over.

What is your stance on the conflict with People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon?

▲The important thing is to always go back to the original intention. The government and the party should work hard to become the most competent government and the most capable and agile party for the people. If we work together, the relationship will improve. I believe it will. Just meeting and talking without progress is like running in circles. For the benefit of the people, the government, presidential office, and party should put their heads together and work, which requires frequent meetings. So, politics should not be driven by personal feelings but by working together to find common tasks and pursue shared political interests, which becomes a strong adhesive. I have been organizing dinners and communication opportunities with party members and officials, but due to the National Assembly audit, I couldn't do so. After the audit and my overseas trips, I plan to continue and accelerate these efforts to create comfortable communication channels with the party. I also ask the media to help a lot.

Officials from the Democratic Party of Korea are watching the live broadcast of President Yoon Suk-yeol's national address at the National Assembly on the 7th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Recent polls show your approval rating has fallen below 20% for the first time since your inauguration. What are your plans to raise it?

▲I have always said since the election that a soccer or baseball player cannot play by looking at the scoreboard; they must focus on the ball. My mindset has not changed. However, regarding approval ratings, my aides often scold me. I do not know how to use tricks or gimmicks to raise ratings, nor do I have the temperament for it. I intend to show the public change, reform, and a more competent image, and to do well so that people in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region and the entire nation do not feel upset. For example, the '4+1' reforms involve resistance because reforms inevitably conflict with some people's interests. I will distinguish between parts that require firm push and parts that need to consider public inconvenience and distress carefully.

There are many calls for First Lady Kim Geon-hee to reduce her activities. What is your alternative?

▲Not reduction, but as I said earlier, when the president or my key aides judge that something is not essential for national interest, it has been effectively suspended and will continue to be so. We may have to argue more as a couple. External activities can be handled through the Second Office. In some ways, there is naivety, and I am not making excuses for my wife but want to fairly judge right and wrong based on overall understanding. Problems arose because even a single word of thanks or connection is maintained when receiving help from someone. Communication methods must change from the candidate and president-elect stages to the presidency, even if it is harsh.

I still receive a huge number of messages on my phone. I see this as an unrefined indicator of public opinion. Many people tell me to get rid of my phone. My wife should have changed her phone, and communication should be through someone else. Regarding my wife, the protocol should have been completely changed as with former presidents, and I should have done that, but I did not, which is the fundamental cause of these problems. I told the Chief of Staff and the head of security from the beginning that I want to see various incoming information immediately and vividly. I think this has risks but also advantages. I will work to reduce risks and take measures to prevent worries and distress among the public.