Talk of direct US-N. Korea dealings already emerging

The South Korean government has not officially responded to a Reuters report stating that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's team is discussing the possibility of direct talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, referring to it as “the realm of what-ifs.” However, a high-ranking source stated, “It's hard to imagine North Korea and the United States sitting down at the negotiating table without us, and it's not a picture we want to imagine.” While the U.S. is unlikely to engage directly with North Korea without South Korea's involvement, it would be a big deal if it were to materialize.

The reports are actually quite a predictable scenario, amounting to nothing more than what Trump's second-term transition team has been discussing. President-elect Trump has frequently touted his friendship with Kim, stating numerous times that he will “get along with him when I'm back in office.” For now, he says he wants to restore relations between the two, but he has not set clear policy goals or a precise timetable. According to Reuters, this issue could take a backseat to more pressing matters, such as Ukraine and the Middle East. This is likely why our government is not paying much attention.

Moreover, a direct deal between the leaders of North Korea and the United States would not be easy to achieve as the government predicted. Trump and Kim have already met three times, but each meeting ended with ‘no deal.’ At the time, there was a promise of ‘complete denuclearization’ from North Korea, even if it was empty, but even that precondition seems unlikely now. Given Kim Jong Un's more advanced nuclear capabilities and his strengthened strategic position, bolstered by close ties with Russia, it is improbable that he will respond positively to Trump's overtures for reconciliation.

However, President-elect Trump's relentless deal-making instincts, combined with Kim's attention-seeking behavior that fuels them, are bound to continue frustrating our government, regardless of the meeting's outcome or the progress of the negotiations. Kim Jong Un's recent statement that he has “gone as far as he can in negotiations with the United States” and Trump's selection of a former North Korean negotiator as the next White House principal deputy national security advisor has further heightened the government's concerns about being ‘excluded’ from the process.

The government hopes that President Yoon Suk Yeol's early visit to the United States will sufficiently convince the new administration. However, if we remain overly hopeful, we may find ourselves in a situation where we must watch the "picture we don't want to imagine" unfold from a distance. Our government must prepare for the dramatic changes that Trump's second term could bring. It is crucial to urgently expand our outreach to countries that have been ignored or neglected, such as by easing tensions with North Korea and improving relations with China and Russia.