Incoming U.S. national security advisor calls S. Korea ‘vital alliance’

Relations between South Korea and the U.S. are a “vital alliance” and should be further strengthened and he plans to tackle the nuclear issue of North Korea as a priority, said Michael Flynn (photo), U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for national security advisor.

Flynn met South Korea’s deputy presidential national security advisor Cho Tae-yong and delegates at a hotel in New York on Friday. The expression‎ of "vital alliance" that Flynn used to call the relationship was not mentioned by the Obama administration. The Obama administration often called the relations between the two countries as "linchpin."

Flynn is a retired lieutenant general with three stars and is classified as hawkish in the Trump team. He told Cho that North Korea’s threats are growing, thus North Korea’s nuclear program would be given a high priority under the new administration while working closely with the South. According to Cho, the two allies have agreed that having dialogues with the North are difficult in current situation as the talks should be carried out in a way to persuade the country to give up its nuclear program, not to accept the North as a nuclear power.

“Considering past behaviors of the North, we cannot deny the possibility of its strategic provocations during the transition of the U.S. administration," Cho said. "In such case, the Trump administration might promptly react to this. What is important is to explain our stance and position on North Korea for close cooperation.”

With regard to the argument that summit could be delayed due to the leadership vacuum caused by the Choi Soon-sil scandal, Flynn was quoted as saying, "A summit of the U.S. and South Korea is important in itself.

Seung-Heon Lee ddr@donga.com