Category: Politics-US

It is expected that if Kamala Harris wins the U.S. presidency she will continue to emphasize a strong U.S.-ROK alliance and push for the fairy tale of a denuclearized North Korea:

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, right, stands at a military observation post as she visits the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Panmunjeom in South Korea on Sept. 29, 2022. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Kamala Harris, endorsed by Biden on Sunday as his successor as the Democratic presidential candidate, is anticipated to continue the Biden administration’s emphasis on alliances if the U.S. vice president wins the upcoming presidential election against Trump, according to analysts. She could become the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead the ticket of a major U.S. political party. 
  
As a senator during Trump’s presidency, Harris criticized Trump’s conciliatory approach toward North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, arguing that Trump was not responding strongly enough to North Korea’s nuclear threats. 
  
“Let me start by saying this: I guarantee you I won’t be exchanging love letters with Kim Jong-un,” Harris said in August 2019 in response to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)’s question to Democratic presidential candidates whether they would agree to partial sanctions relief in exchange for the partial dismantling of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. “President Trump has handed Kim one PR victory after the next, all without securing any real concessions, so the next president will have serious work to do. 
  
“Ultimately, we can’t accept North Korea as a nuclear weapons state,” she added. “But it’s clear that simply demanding complete denuclearization is a recipe for failure; we must work closely with our allies to contain and reverse the short-term threats posed by Pyongyang as we work toward that long-term goal.” 
  
This contrasts with Trump, who boasted of his friendship with Kim, saying the North Korean leader “misses” him and “would like to see [him] back” in a speech to the Republican National Convention on July 18. 
  
During an appearance on CBS in September last year, Harris said, “We are all absolutely clear and unequivocal about our goal of the complete denuclearization of North Korea.”

Though not directly involved with Korean affairs and having limited exposure to the Korean public, Harris visited South Korea in September 2022, where she stressed the “ironclad” nature of the U.S. commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea.  

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link, but according to the article Harris has approximately 8 hours of experience visiting South Korea back in 2022.

This should come as no surprise that J.D. Vance to echoing Donald Trump’s call for U.S. allies to do more for national defense:

Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate has vowed to ensure U.S. allies share the burden of promoting world peace, and warned them against what he called “free rides.”

Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio made the remarks during a speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday amid concerns that Trump, if reelected, could put pressure on South Korea to increase its financial contributions for stationing the 28,500-strong U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).

“Together, we will make sure our allies share in the burden of securing world peace,” he told a cheering crowd at the convention. “No more free rides for nations that betray the generosity of the American taxpayer.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

There has been a lot of concern in South Korea that a second Trump presidency would see him asking the ROK to pay more for the upkeep of U.S. forces, instead it appears Trump will be targeting Taiwan instead:

“Tariffs are great economically and good for negotiations. U.S. President Joe Biden’s policies to foster electric vehicles have only added to inflation with subsidies.”

Former President Donald Trump hinted in an interview with U.S. economic media Bloomberg Business Week that there will be an upheaval in overall economic and industrial policies if he takes power. The interview was held at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida at the end of June before the shooting, but it was relentless as if it had already been elected. In fact, attention is drawn to the disclosure of the sketch of “Trumpnomics.”

In an interview released on the 16th (local time), former President Trump said, “The interest rate should remain as it is until the economy recovers,” and stressed, “The interest rate level is high now, so (the Biden administration) may want to cut interest rates, but it should not be done before the election.”

Maeil Business Newspaper

Here is where Trump discusses Taiwan:

Former President Trump attacked Taiwan for taking the U.S. semiconductor industry and saying it should be returned as defense expenses. Asked if he would defend Taiwan against China, he replied, “Taiwan has taken the U.S. semiconductor industry, so I think it should pay us for defense.” Former President Trump said, “Taiwan gives us nothing. But the United States is giving them billions of dollars to get them to produce semiconductors in the United States,” he pointed out. 

You can read much more about Trumpnomics at the link.

South Korea has definitely has had its share of political violence to include recently the stabbing of the Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung:

DP spokesperson Han Min-soo also sent best wishes Trump’s way and echoed the PPP’s sentiment that political terrorism must never be justified.

“The Democratic Party suffered an act of terrorism against former leader Lee Jae-myung, and we’ve been battling to fend off the ghosts of such terrible politics based on hatred,” Han said. “We strongly condemn political terrorism that destroys democracy, and we will be on the front lines of the battle against the politics of hatred.”

Yonhap

The conservative People Power Party however condemned the attack and mentioned the recent politcally inspired attacks on both Lee Jae-myung and PPP member Bae Hyun-jin;

Ho Jun-seok, spokesperson for the ruling People Power Party (PPP), wished Trump a speedy recovery, after the Republican presidential candidate had a bullet pierce the upper part of his right ear during a Saturday rally (U.S. time) in Pennsylvania.

“Political terrorism is a threat to democracy and cannot be tolerated for any reason,” Ho said in a statement. “Political terrorism is a product of extremism and politics of hate. Politicians have the duty to unite society through understanding and harmony.”

Ho said South Korean people have also been affected by political terrorism, citing attacks on former presidential candidate and ex-Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung and PPP lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin.

You can read more at the link, but back in 2006 there was also the slashing of then conservative parliamentary member Park Geun-hye who would go on to become President and in 2015 U.S. Ambassador to Korea Mark Lippert was slashed across the face as well. You can go even further back when Korean President Park Chung-hee was assassinated in 1979 as well.

Here is the reaction from the President of Korea on the attempted assassination of Donald Trump:

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Sunday he was shocked by an assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump, denouncing the attack as “horrible political violence” and wishing him a quick recovery.

“I am appalled by the horrible political violence. I wish former President Trump a speedy recovery,” Yoon wrote in English on his official X page. “The people of Korea stand in solidarity with the people of America.”

Trump, the Republican presidential candidate pursuing his second term, suffered a gunshot wound in his right ear during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday (U.S. time). The Federal Bureau of Investigation has said it will treat the shooting as “an assassination attempt” against Trump.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link. We don’t know the motivations of the assassin yet, but I would not be surprised if he is someone with a history of mental issues, lives an isolated life, with no girlfriend, and became radicalized by all the rhetoric against Trump. I just recently shared on here The New Republic cover that had Trump looking like Hitler. How many times have we heard Trump is going to end democracy in America? This is all complete rubbish, but talk like this causes crazy people to do crazy things.

I cannot understand how Kristi Noem did not think that she would be called out on the claim she met with Kim Jong-un? Very few people have ever met with Kim Jong-un and why would he ever meet with the governor of South Dakota? This was a falsity that was easy for any journalist to sniff out. So instead of owning up to the lie in her book she has instead been calling it “fake news”. There is definitely plenty examples of fake news out there, but this incident is definitely not one of them:

But more broadly, it seems these stories are in No Going Back because Noem wanted the book to convey to Donald Trump and his supporters that she’s not like the other politicians on his VP shortlist: She’s tough, she’s folksy, and she isn’t afraid to do what needs to be done, whether that means standing up to a foreign dictator or shooting a puppy.

So it isn’t surprising that Noem is trying to defend herself by using a classic MAGA tactic: saying she’s the victim of the “Fake News.” But it is pretty funny, since the “news” in question is just stuff she said in her own book. (…..)

Ironically, in her next two interviews, Noem seemed to “run from the truth.” Face the Nation’s Margaret Brennan asked the governor a simple question: “Did you meet Kim Jong-un?”

Though Noem acknowledged that the claim is being removed from the book, she refused to answer the question directly, weirdly emphasizing that she’s met plenty of world leaders.

“As soon as this was brought to my attention, I certainly made some changes and looked at this passage,” Noem said. “And I’ve met with many, many world leaders. I’ve traveled around the world. As soon as it was brought to my attention, we went forward and have made some edits.”

Brennan kept pressing Noem on how the false claim got into the book and why it took her so long to catch it, since the governor read the audiobook herself. Brennan noted that this wasn’t a passing reference to Kim; Noem remarks in the book, “I’m sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants (I’d been a children’s pastor, after all).”

The Intelligencer

You can read more at the link, but I think she has effectively ended any hope she had of being a vice presidential candidate.

I don’t think North Korea policy positions are going to do little to drive voters to vote for you when crime, inflation, and illegal immigration is what most people care about:

Washington’s foreign policy on North Korea is emerging as one of the key issues of the GOP primary as Nikki Haley tries to draw a contrast between her tough stance on the regime and that of her rival in the presidential race, Donald Trump.

Heading into a significant test as she takes on the former president in Tuesday’s (local time) New Hampshire primary, Haley’s campaign team will start airing a three-minute ad featuring the mother of Otto Warmbier, a college student who died in 2017 after being imprisoned by North Korea.

“He was taken hostage, tortured and murdered by the government of North Korea,” Cynthia Warmbier, who spoke at Haley’s campaign event last year, is shown telling the crowd there.

“When we were begging the Obama administration for help, they told us to be quiet and be patient. Nikki told us the opposite. She told me it’s OK to be afraid, like I am now, but I had to push through the fear.”

His mother describes Haley, who was serving as the country’s U.N. ambassador at that time, as a leader with strength and compassion.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.