'Trump Season 2' Again Acting Diplomacy... Urgent Communication Between Korea and the US

The Donald Trump administration officially took office on the 20th (local time), but due to the aftermath of the emergency martial law situation, South Korea-U.S. summit diplomacy is expected to experience a hiatus for some time. With pressing issues such as North Korea and the South Korea-U.S. alliance piling up, there are concerns that the 'diplomatic golden time' might be missed.

On this day, the U.S. cabinet is also expected to be quickly formed following President Trump's inauguration. In particular, Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State who will oversee U.S. foreign policy, was the first among the cabinet nominees of the second Trump administration to pass Senate confirmation. Secretary Rubio will lead President Trump's foreign policy, which carries the slogan of 'peace through strength.'

For South Korea, the possibility of resuming North Korea-U.S. dialogue is the most critical issue. President Trump reportedly referred to North Korea as a 'nuclear power' during his White House Oval Office remarks. He also said, "I was very friendly with Kim Jong-un, and he liked me," adding, "I think he will welcome my return."

Earlier, officials related to the second Trump administration repeatedly expressed the perception of North Korea as a 'nuclear-armed state.' Secretary Rubio, during his confirmation hearing, responded to the criticism that 'irreversible denuclearization is a fantasy' by saying, "We need to look at North Korea policy more broadly." Pete Hegseth, the nominee for Secretary of Defense, referred to North Korea as a 'nuclear-armed state' in his written responses. This indicates that the U.S. policy toward North Korea is about to undergo a major shift from 'irreversible denuclearization' to 'nuclear arms reduction.'

However, when asked about President Trump's remarks, a Ministry of Unification official stated, "South Korea and the U.S. have maintained a firm and unified stance on the goal of North Korea's complete denuclearization," adding, "We will build a close South Korea-U.S. cooperative system with the new U.S. administration."

Amid significant changes in U.S. diplomatic and security policy surrounding the Korean Peninsula, the leadership vacuum in South Korea is causing further concern. There is even talk of the possibility of South Korea being bypassed. Coincidentally, President Trump’s second administration also took office during a period when South Korea had an acting president, just as in his first administration in 2017. In 2017, ten days after Trump's inauguration, on January 30, he had his first phone call with Hwang Kyo-ahn, then acting president and prime minister. At the Trump inauguration ceremony held at the Rotunda Hall of the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on this day, the only South Korean government official present was Cho Hyun-dong, the ambassador to the U.S.

The government plans to push for a South Korea-U.S. foreign ministers' meeting as early as the end of this month or by early next month at the latest. Regarding this, a Foreign Ministry official said, "Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol is pushing for an early visit to the U.S."