U.S. President Donald Trump on the 19th effectively treated North Korea's status as a nuclear power as settled, saying that "North Korea has 57 very powerful nuclear weapons." Trump also said he would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un within the year, adding, "We never should have allowed that to happen in the first place, but he already has those weapons, so I get along with him very well." Notably, when asked about the goal of "North Korea's denuclearization," he dodged the question, saying, "I don't want to talk about that." He repeatedly stressed that the reduction of joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises was a decision made with Kim in mind, calling the drills "very insulting to someone who has behaved very well during my term."
Trump has referred to North Korea as a nuclear power several times in the past, but it is troubling that he this time cited a specific number of nuclear weapons while deliberately avoiding any mention of "denuclearization." There is concern that this may be a step toward Washington effectively abandoning "the complete denuclearization of North Korea," the guiding principle of South Korea-U.S. cooperation. Moreover, while repeatedly emphasizing his rapport with Kim, Trump aired blunt dissatisfaction with South Korea, saying, "I wasn't happy when they said they had no interest in helping us in the Strait of Hormuz." With the alliance grown distant amid discord over the Middle East and delays in investment in the U.S., South Korea must be wary of the possibility that Washington could enter talks with North Korea while sidelining Seoul. There is even a chance that the two sides could bypass South Korea and strike a "bad deal" exchanging a freeze on the North's nuclear program for eased sanctions.
With the security environment on the Korean Peninsula shifting rapidly, the government's diplomatic capacity faces a serious test. Seoul must mobilize all of its diplomatic resources so that the political interests of Trump — who seeks to offset the failure of the Iran war with a North Korea-U.S. summit — and Kim, who aims to exploit cracks in the South Korea-U.S. alliance, do not lead to the sidelining of the alliance and the abandonment of denuclearization. President Lee Jae-myung has offered to serve as "a pacemaker for President Trump," but he must not be swayed by a Trump who seeks to make denuclearization an object of negotiation. It is also important to draw out a constructive role from China, which serves as North Korea's backer. On the 20th, President Lee reportedly met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and called for a constructive role by China in bringing the North back to dialogue and ending the Korean War. South Korea must communicate closely with the United States and actively persuade China so that the principle of "the complete denuclearization of North Korea" does not waver.
