Bruce Klingner
South Korea’s political turmoil of martial law, impeachments, and vitriolic attacks among its political parties has entered its third month—and it’s likely that several more turbulent months lie ahead before any resolution is reached.
Even after the South Korean courts or populace eventually determine the country’s presidency, the divisive polarization and rampant conspiracy theories unleashed by the events of the last few months will hinder, if not preclude, reconciliation.
South Korea’s political upheaval is particularly ill-timed given the dire Indo-Pacific security environment and the change of leadership in the United States. As the two major South Korean political parties jockey for advantage, both worry about their country being ignored or even targeted by new U.S. tariffs or troop reductions. Seoul is hindered in establishing a relationship with the Trump administration by having an unelected acting president and the potential for a new-term change in South Korean leadership with vastly different policy priorities from its predecessor.
South Korea’s political parties are appealing to Washington for support, but any perception of picking sides or interference in domestic affairs could trigger a resurgence of anti-Americanism which periodically embroils the bilateral relationship. Washington must establish close relations with political parties across the spectrum while concurrently articulating U.S. policy priorities and strategic goals.
An Agenda for the U.S.–South Korea Strategic Economic Partnership in 2025 and Beyond
Seoul is trying to ascertain the new Trump administration’s policies, but the lack of details has led it to overinterpret some official statements. President Donald Trump’s and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s comments that North Korea was a “nuclear power” were assessed as reflecting the U.S. abandonment of denuclearization as a North Korean policy goal, which would be a major policy shift.
However, that was almost certainly not the case. One can correctly assess that North Korea has nuclear weapons while still not formally accepting or diplomatically acknowledging North Korea as a nuclear weapons state. » Read More
https://www.heritage.org/global-politics/commentary/trumps-korea-strategy-how-washington-navigating-south-koreas-political
