[New York Diary] What Japan Has That Korea Does Not

'America First.' This is the policy stance of U.S. President Donald Trump. He prioritizes America First above all else, regardless of whether he is dealing with allies or adversaries. Shortly after taking office, he withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization (WHO). He also attempted to impose a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico, though this was postponed for a month. While it was expected that he would impose an additional 10% tariff on China, which is engaged in a power struggle with the United States, the announcement of a tariff bomb on the North American economic community-and especially on Canada, a key U.S. ally-came as a major shock.

This is a clear departure from the approach of former President Joe Biden. Biden confronted authoritarian regimes such as China, Russia, and North Korea, and imposed economic pressure by aligning with allies who share the values of freedom, human rights, and democracy. For Trump, there are no allies or adversaries-only American interests. The Korea-U.S. relationship could also be 'reset' under Trump's America First policy. At a time like this, our government needs to act swiftly, but with the country in a de facto state of anomie-where the acting president's acting president is performing presidential duties due to martial law and impeachment crises-effective responses are difficult to expect.

Japan took a different approach. On February 7, Trump held a U.S.-Japan summit at the White House with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Ishiba was the second foreign leader to meet Trump after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. U.S. local media commented that Ishiba displayed the so-called 'art of flattery,' praising Trump effusively. Ishiba lavished compliments on Trump, saying, "God saved you," and "You seemed intimidating and tough on TV, but in person you were serious and powerful."In front of Trump, who prioritizes trade and security balance sheets, Ishiba also presented a host of gifts, including expanding imports of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG), increasing defense spending, and boosting Japanese investment in the United States to 1 trillion dollars.

It remains uncertain whether Japan will ultimately be able to avoid Trump's tariff bomb, but this summit is being considered a success. The Washington Post reported, "Ishiba did his best to praise Trump and used flattery to elicit laughter. He thoroughly blocked any questions related to tariffs that could have led to tension." Bloomberg News wrote, "A low-key leader has begun a warm personal relationship with the U.S. president," adding, "Ishiba demonstrated how to cooperate with Trump at their first summit." It is being evaluated that Ishiba preemptively bowed to mitigate the Trump risk.

While the Japanese leader moved quickly to mitigate the Trump risk, South Korea's diplomatic vacuum with the United States continues. Meanwhile, the uncertainty faced by our companies is also growing.Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix were promised government subsidies in exchange for building semiconductor plants in the United States, but there are concerns that these subsidies may not be paid or could be drastically reduced. Hyundai Motor, Kia, and LG Electronics, which built production bases in Mexico to target the U.S. market, are now facing tariff risks. The trade surplus with the United States could also return as a tariff boomerang from Trump targeting Korean companies. Last year,the U.S. trade deficit with South Korea was 66 billion dollars, making South Korea the ninth largest contributor to the U.S. trade deficit.While this trade surplus reflects, in part, the proactive response of Korean companies increasing their local investments in the United States in line with the America First policy, Trump is unlikely to take these circumstances into consideration.

The government is reviewing a package deal proposal that includes increasing imports of U.S. energy, expanding cooperation in shipbuilding, and raising defense cost-sharing. However, with the political turmoil of impeachment and the possibility of an early presidential election, there are significant limits to how actively bureaucrats can respond. President Yoon Suk-yeol, who once called himself 'Korea's No. 1 salesman,' is currently suspended from duty. South Korea has no leader to face Trump, who values top-down negotiations and personal relationships. On the eve of the Trump era, Korea has tied its own hands, while Japan's prime minister moved swiftly and was even praised for his 'art of flattery.' The Korean public, watching Japan's summit diplomacy with the United States-something we can never hope for-can only feel increasingly anxious and frustrated.