2024-04-26 06:28:23
Korean Ambassador to the United States Cho Hyun-dong emphasized on the 25th that no matter which candidate is elected in the November U.S. presidential election, the general direction of the development of the ROK-U.S. alliance will not change. Regarding the current state of the ROK-US alliance, he said, “It is so institutionalized that it is difficult to express it simply as ‘strengthening cooperation,’ including high-level exchanges, the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), and economic, scientific and technological cooperation.” He also said, “Looking at the overall trend, no matter what the results are in the US presidential election, there will be no significant change in the direction of alliance development.”
● “The ROK-US alliance is incomparably stronger than before.”
Ambassador Cho, who returned to Korea to attend a meeting of heads of diplomatic missions abroad, met with reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and said, “There are many expectations about the ROK-US relationship after the presidential election, but what is clear is that the level of the ROK-US alliance is stronger than before.” He said. Ambassador Cho said that he met with members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and think tank figures after taking office as ambassador to the U.S. in April of last year, and said, “Regardless of political affiliation, there was a consistent consensus on the future of the ROK-U.S. alliance.”
Ambassador Cho also cited the ‘Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG)’, which was launched through an agreement at the ROK-US summit in April last year, as a major achievement and evaluated it as “the only case where a non-nuclear country consults and discusses nuclear strategy with the US at a bilateral level.” . Regarding the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which provides subsidies for electric vehicles assembled in North America, he said, “As a result of close discussions between Korea and the United States, new opportunities are opening up for our companies.”
Regarding the results of the U.S. presidential election, which is of great interest even in Korea, Ambassador Cho said, “As of now, there is no way to know the direction at all,” and added, “Swing states, centrist votes, variables of the third candidate, etc. will comprehensively determine the direction of the presidential election. “It will become an indicator,” he predicted.
● Senior official “US presidential election, 50-50 situation… “Must be approached cautiously”
On this day, a senior government official said of the possibility of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump being elected in this US presidential election, saying, “It is a 50-50 situation,” and “A cautious approach would be advisable.” At the same time, our government said that even if it meets with Trump campaign officials locally, it is “taking care to avoid being revealed as much as possible.”
This senior official also said, “The current ruling party is (President Biden’s) Democratic Party.” He said, “In the past, there were reports (in some countries) that a government-level team was created in preparation for Trump’s rise to power, but the reaction of high-ranking U.S. officials to this was naturally not positive.”
In response to concerns that if former President Trump is re-elected, the Special Agreement on Defense Cost Sharing (SMA), which is currently being negotiated between Korea and the United States, may be reviewed from scratch, this senior official said, “It is difficult to talk about it based on various assumptions,” and added, “I hope for a good result.” “I look forward to it,” he said. He added, “Trump’s people also agree with the importance of the ROK-US alliance.” Korea and the United States recently began negotiations on the SMA, which will apply from 2026. Some are concerned that if former President Trump is re-elected, the basic framework of the agreement between Korea and the United States will be undermined.
Reporter Ko Do-ye yea@donga.com
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2024-04-26 06:28:23