Journal of Political Risk, Vol. 5, No. 11, November 2017
The United Nations, American, and South Korean flags side-by-side in Seoul. Source: Flickr.
Bhakti Mirchandani
Senior Vice President at An Alternative Investment Management Firm
South Korea has been an important US ally since 1953. The alliance is multifaceted, ranging from US military presence in South Korea and coordination on the North Korea nuclear issue to cyber, and from energy to climate change.[1] South Korea is also the US’s sixth-largest trading partner.[2] Despite the lasting strength of the alliance, the relationship between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and President Trump is fraying under the strain of the North Korean nuclear threat and of renegotiating the bilateral US-Korea free trade agreement (“KORUS “). President Trump accused President Moon’s government of “appeasement” of North Korea,[3] but ultimately agreed not to attack North Korea without South Korea’s permission.[4] Trump also threatened to terminate KORUS, which he described as a “horrible deal.”[5] Beyond the relationship between the two leaders, the position of US Ambassador to South Korea has been vacant since President Trump took office, and South Korean protestors assembled with anti-war signs at an anti-Trump rally outside the US Embassy in Seoul during President Trump’s visit this past Tuesday.[6]