South Korea prepares for another Trump presidency

US President-elect Donald Trump is celebrating his election victory, while in capitals around the world, many are already strategizing about how to deal with his administration when he takes office. in January next year.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol admits another Trump term is likely to come with new problems. While it may not be exactly the same as it was under the Biden administration, we are making efforts from multiple angles to minimize the damage and economic loss to our citizens. Preparations for this type of risk protection have been made for a long time. Seoul relies on its alliance with Washington for security with 28,500 US troops at bases across the country.

On Monday, Seoul and Washington signed an agreement outlining an 8.3% increase in Seoul's payment for the cost of stationing US forces in South Korea. During his campaign, Trump said he would have received 10 times as much money, $10 billion, from South Korea for the deployment of US forces. During his first term, Trump had threatened to withdraw US troops from South Korea. Political scientists at South Korea's National Assembly briefed lawmakers on the potential for a crackdown on Trump. As you all know, Trump is likely to put a lot of pressure on his allies by demanding an increase in their defense spending and taking a transactional approach, but I think that pressure could actually lead to anti-Semitism. -American, as it did in the early 2000s, said Professor Choi Ajin, Yonsei University

"The previous Trump administration created anti-American rallies in Seoul. Experts also question his commitment to the alliance. North Korea's nuclear capabilities are strengthening, and US alliance policy is changing every four years, so it could have a problem with confidence in extended prevention," -Professor Choi Ajin, Yonsei University.

However, there are hopes in Seoul that Trump can return to dialogue with North Korea, as in his previous administration. With so much control over American foreign policy left in the hands of the president, Trump's second term may be even less predictable than his first.