Tag: South Korea

That would be pretty impressive if South Korea becomes one of the first countries to secure and trade deal with the Trump administration. With that said what will be interesting is if it stays in effect when a new President takes over Korea:

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described high-level trade talks with South Korea in Washington on Thursday as “very successful,” noting that Seoul came with its “A-game” and anticipating that the allies will discuss “technical terms” as early as next week.

Bessent made the remarks in an interview with CNN, after he and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer met with Seoul’s Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok and Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun for their “two-plus-two” trade consultations at the Department of the Treasury.

“We had a very successful bilateral meeting with the Republic of Korea today. We may be moving faster than I thought,” Bessent said, referring to South Korea by its official name.

“We will be talking (about) technical terms as early as next week as we reach that agreement on understanding as soon as next week. So the South Koreans came early. They came with their A game, and we will see if they follow through on that,” he added.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

From the U.S. perspective it makes sense to have the flexibility to redeploy troops from Korea to assist with a Taiwan contingency. However, this Op-Ed in the Korea Times is against because of some hypothetical possibility of Japanese troops on Korea soil:

Japan’s recent articulation of a “One Theater” doctrine — encompassing the East China Sea, Taiwan Strait and the Korean Peninsula — marks a troubling shift in strategic thinking that risks destabilizing Northeast Asia. Proposed by Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and seemingly welcomed by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, this doctrine is being presented as a pragmatic response to a volatile regional security environment. In reality, it threatens to undermine national sovereignty, disrupt the delicate geopolitical balance of the Indo-Pacific and draw democratic allies into conflicts not of their choosing.

At its core, the “one battlefield” concept posits that regional flashpoints — such as Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula and the East China Sea — are so interconnected that they must be treated as a unified operational theater. While this might serve military planning purposes, it dangerously flattens political nuance in favor of operational efficiency. It treats sovereign nations not as independent actors with unique security needs, but as interchangeable assets within a broader strategic front defined by Japan and, potentially, the United States.

Of particular concern is the implication that, under this doctrine, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) could be redeployed from the Korean Peninsula to support operations in the event of a Taiwan contingency. Such a move would not only risk undermining deterrence on the peninsula — where a fragile armistice holds between South and North Korea — but also compromise South Korea’s core defense posture. The Korean Peninsula is not a backwater theater; it is a primary front involving a nuclear-armed adversary. To subordinate Korean security to cross-strait dynamics is both strategically unsound and politically inflammatory.

Historical memory further complicates this issue. Any framework that implicitly or explicitly involves Japanese military activity on or near the Korean Peninsula is politically incendiary. The legacy of Japan’s 1910-45 colonial occupation of Korea continues to cast a long shadow over bilateral relations. For many South Koreans across the political spectrum, the idea of Japanese boots on or near Korean soil — however hypothetical — remains an emotional and constitutional red line. Even under the banner of collective defense, such a scenario would provoke fierce domestic backlash and could fracture regional unity.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but it almost sounds like this author rather have North Korean and Chinese Soldiers on ROK territory instead of Japanese. With that said I cannot think of a scenario where Japanese troops would be needed on Korean soil. Japan’s geography makes it an important location to deploy U.S. aircraft, ships, and supplies from for either a Taiwan or North Korea contingency. They Japanese military will not be needed to deploy troops to Korea.

This author is really using the deployment of Japanese troops to Korea as a red herring to obscure the author’s real concern which is the flexibility of the U.S. to deploy troops from Korea for a Taiwan contingency.

I wonder how long it will be before the Chinese claim the entire Yellow Sea as their territory like they have done with the South China Sea?:

South Korea is considering setting up a necessary facility in the overlapping waters with China in the Yellow Sea as a countermeasure to the latter’s recent installation of a steel structure in the area, Seoul’s oceans minister said Monday.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is discussing the matter with the financial authorities, Oceans Minister Kang Do-hyung said in a press briefing, noting the government first has to decide “what kind of facility is necessary at which level.”

“Regarding the proportional measure, we are taking this matter very seriously from the perspective of protecting our maritime territory,” he said. 

In February, the two countries faced a two-hour standoff as Chinese authorities blocked Seoul’s attempt to investigate Beijing’s construction of a steel structure in the Provisional Maritime Zone (PMZ) near Ieo Island, off South Korea’s southwest coast.

The PMZ is an area where the Exclusive Economic Zones of South Korea and China overlap. The two sides can only operate fishing vessels there and jointly manage marine resources, as any activities beyond navigation and fishing are prohibited in the area.

Despite the agreement, China has installed several large steel structures in the zone in recent years, saying they are for aqua farming.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I can understand why the police are getting turned around, this would be like the Washington, DC police showing up at the White House and asking the Secret Service to hand over SIPR phones and computers. It is not going happen without a proper security review to release those materials due to classified information on those machines that have nothing to do with the investigation:

A special police investigation team withdraws from its attempt to raid the presidential office in Seoul’s Yongsan district on April 16, 2025, over allegations that former President Yoon Suk Yeol obstructed the execution of a detention warrant early this year.

Police failed to raid the presidential office Wednesday over allegations surrounding former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived martial law bid after a 10-hour standoff with presidential security officials.

The police’s special investigation team presented a warrant to search the presidential office’s secure phone server, and the Presidential Security Service (PSS) office and residence, all in the central Seoul district of Yongsan, earlier in the day, according to officials. 

But security officials blocked their entry, and the presidential office later submitted a statement of disapproval, prompting investigators to leave the scene.

The police said the PSS had instead agreed to voluntarily provide certain materials, including data from the classified phone server.

Police have repeatedly attempted to seize the server records of a secure phone used by Yoon related to his Dec. 3 martial law imposition but have been largely unsuccessful.

By law, military facilities and other areas that handle confidential information cannot be searched or seized without approval from the responsible authority or office.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I guess we will see next week if the ROK can strike a deal or not with the Trump administration. What will be interesting is if a deal is struck will the likely Lee Jae-myung administration in two months stick to it?:

The United States will engage in trade negotiations with South Korea next week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday, stressing the “first mover advantage,” as countries are striving to strike deals with the U.S. to minimize the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariff policy on their economies.

In a Bloomberg interview, Bessent touched on plans for upcoming negotiations with South Korea and Japan. Earlier this month, Trump imposed steep “reciprocal” tariffs on the two allies and dozens of other countries but later placed a 90-day pause on the new tariffs.

“We had Vietnam in last week. We (have) Japanese in on Wednesday. … South Korea next week,” he said. “So it’s going to move fast.”

The secretary underscored there will be a “first mover” advantage as Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told parliament Monday (Tokyo time) that Japan will not make compromises for the sake of quickly wrapping up tariff talks with the U.S.

“I think there will be advantage to our allies, especially a first mover advantage,” he said. “Usually, the first person who makes a deal gets the best deal.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

As expected it looks like Lee Jae-myung is going to win the Korean presidency in a landslide because of his name recognition, the PPP being tarnished by Yoon’s impeachment, and the fact the PPP is fractured and cannot rally around a single candidate:

This undated composite photo shows Lee Jae-myung (L), former leader of the Democratic Party, and former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo. (Yonhap)

A former leader of the Democratic Party (DP), Rep. Lee Jae-myung, is leading the race for the presidency of South Korea with nearly 49 percent support, a poll showed Monday. 

South Korea will hold a presidential election on June 3 as the Constitutional Court removed former President Yoon Suk Yeol from office over his failed martial law bid. 

According to the survey conducted by Realmeter on 1,506 adults aged over 18 from Wednesday to Friday, Lee topped the list with 48.8 percent.

Former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo, who joined the conservative People Power Party (PPP) and declared his bid last week, came next with 10.9 percent, down 5.4 percentage points from the previous week.

Acting President Han Duck-soo made his first appearance in the survey with 8.6 percent, though he has not officially announced his presidential run. 

Former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon received 6.2 percent, and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo garnered 5.2 percent, followed by Lee Jun-seok, a lawmaker of the minor opposition New Reform Party, at 3 percent. Support for other potential candidates was below 3 percent.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I was never a big fan of moving the Presidential office to Yongsan and it appears who ever the new Korean President ends up being, it will move yet again:

Following the removal of President Yoon Suk Yeol from office, many are wondering if the next administration might relocate the presidential office, currently located in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, back to the previous location of Cheong Wa Dae, also known as the Blue House, or to a new site.

“Regardless of which party takes power, I think the majority of the public is unlikely to agree with the presidential office remaining in Yongsan in the long term,” said Rep. Kim Min-seok, a senior leader of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, appearing on a radio program Tuesday.

He added that the ousted Yoon had not allowed sufficient public discussion when he moved the top office out of Cheong Wa Dae to Yongsan.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link, but I believe they should just move it back to Cheongwadae. It is a beautiful complex in the heart of Seoul, but would need to have a major security scan done since it has been open to the public for so long. When it opened to the public I made sure to go and visit Cheongwadae because I figured the Presidential office would eventually move back there. It was pretty cool to be able to mostly freely walk around an area that had for the longest time been closed to the public. I will need to post pictures of the visit when I get a chance.

Appeasement of North Korea is what one analyst expects and the Korean left’s track record on this issue shows this will likely come true:

Sung-Yoon Lee, a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., said Yoon’s removal “virtually enthrones” Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung as the likely next president. Lee, who has not formally announced a run for the presidency, faced Yoon in the 2022 election.

In December, he famously scaled a wall at the National Assembly to block Yoon’s martial law decree. Yoon defended his decision, accusing the Democrats of obstructing legislation and conducting politically motivated investigations of government appointees. “If Lee Jae-myung or another [Democratic Party] politician takes power, we can anticipate big changes — mostly for the worse for South Korea’s national security and its alliance with the U.S., based on the ignoble record on North Korea policy …,” Sung-Yoon Lee told Stars and Stripes by email Friday. (…..)

“Politicians are prone to switching colors on various issues,” Sung-Yoon Lee said. “But Lee Jae-myung and his fellow lawmakers are united and unswerving when it comes to appeasing Kim …”

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

The DPK leader Lee Jae-myung has a clear advantage going into the snap election caused by former President Yoon’s impeachment due to his name recognition. It will be interesting if any member of the PPP can consolidate support to effectively take him on in such a short campaign timeframe:

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, left, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, shakes hands with floor leader Rep. Park Chan-dae at the National Assembly in Seoul, Friday, after the Constitutional Court’s decision to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol from office. Newsis

The date for the election has not yet been decided, but acting President Han Duck-soo is expected to designate the date during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. It is most likely to be held on June 3, exactly 60 days after Yoon’s ouster was finalized. 

Amid this tight schedule, the country’s major rival parties — Yoon’s conservative People Power Party (PPP) and the more liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) — are expected to launch election preparations this week, setting up respective election committees that will decide on a road map for their primaries and campaign plans.

If the election date is set for June 3, the parties must determine and register their candidates by May 11, a day before the official campaign period launches. Those currently serving as local office chiefs or ministers have to resign at least 30 days before the election if they want to join the race, meaning by May 4.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It took a couple of days, but impeached President Yoon has now released a message to his supporters:

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol said Sunday he will always stand by his supporters, two days after the Constitutional Court ruled to remove him from office, while not issuing any message of his accepting the court’s decision.

“As long as you — young people — do not lose confidence, our future will be bright. Though I step down from presidency, I will always stand by you,” Yoon said in a message, released by his legal team, to a group of his supporters.

Yoon said he is grateful for their support, saying that “realizing the nation’s grave crisis situation, you have made a journey to defend freedom and sovereign rights, which will be recorded as a great history.”

It marked Yoon’s second statement since Friday, when the court upheld his impeachment over his brief martial law declaration in December.

On Friday, Yoon said he was sorry for not being able to meet public expectations and it has been the greatest honor of his life to serve the nation.

With Yoon’s ouster, South Korea should hold a snap presidential election within 60 days of the court’s ruling.

Some political observers said Yoon’s Sunday message was apparently aimed at rallying support from his aggressive supporters ahead of the presidential election. In a meeting with leaders of the People Power Party on Friday, Yoon called for thorough preparations for the party to win the election.

The Democratic Party denounced Yoon for “instigating” ultra-right forces, saying that Yoon has not apologized for his “illegal” martial law declaration despite the court’s decision.

His message “appears to be nothing more than a refusal to accept and a mockery of the Constitutional Court’s ruling,” South Korea’s largest party said in a statement.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but it is interesting that the DPK is claiming that Yoon is instigating right wing forces when it has been incredibly peaceful after Yoon’s impeachment. Could you imagine how much violence would have happened over the weekend by the Korean left if Yoon was reinstated?