South Korea's Jun and Trump discuss North Korea, Russia ties
The President of South Korea, Jun Suk Yeol, spoke on the phone with U.S. presidential election winner Donald Trump about, among other issues, North Korea and its soldiers supporting Russia in the war against Ukraine, Jun's office announced during the night from Wednesday to Thursday, Polish time.
7:41 AM EST, November 7, 2024
During the 12-minute conversation, Jun congratulated Trump on his victory, and the two leaders agreed that "they will meet as soon as possible, as soon as they can determine the time and place," the deputy national security advisor to the President of South Korea, Kim Te Hio, told reporters.
They discussed Ukraine
The politicians discussed, among other topics, the economic and security ties between their countries. They talked about the situation in North Korea, including its missile tests and nuclear armament, as well as its deployment of soldiers supporting Russia in the war against Ukraine.
Jun later stated at a press conference that his government would cooperate with the new U.S. administration to build a "great partnership" in security and maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Trump wins: "Changes and unpredictability"
However, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported, citing expert analyses, that Trump's second term could bring "changes and unpredictability" to the South Korea-U.S. alliance and pressure Seoul to bear greater costs of this partnership.
Trump, known for his "transactional view" on alliances, may press for renegotiating the agreement with South Korea and demand that Seoul cover a greater share of the costs for the approximately 29,000 American soldiers stationed in the country, Yonhap reported.
