Korean Peninsula in Limbo: Trump and Harris’ Inaction Sparks Calls for US Intervention

US Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Photo = Newsis

[파이낸셜뉴스] The election to elect a new president of the United States will be held on the 5th (local time). Depending on who takes power: Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump, Korea’s foreign affairs and security, especially its policy toward North Korea, are expected to change significantly.

However, experts noted that only the pattern of North Korea’s response is different, and both Harris and Trump noted that the Korean Peninsula issue will inevitably take a back seat to the war in the Middle East and Ukraine. The suggestion is that regardless of the outcome of the US presidential election, our government should focus on creating an environment in which the US has no choice but to actively take steps to resolve issues on the Korean Peninsula, including the denuclearization of North Korea.

Harris is expected to maintain the current Biden administration’s stance. In other words, since it is continuing the foreign and security policies of the traditional Democratic Party administration, the Korean Peninsula issue is likely to remain a low priority.

So far, the Democratic Party administration in the United States has focused on the ROK-U.S. alliance and Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation in response to the North Korean nuclear threat, but has neglected to find fundamental solutions. In the background is the Chinese blockade. The goal is to use the North Korean nuclear threat as an excuse to increase cooperation between Korea, the United States, and Japan as an axis to keep China in check. To achieve this, it is necessary to maintain the status quo on the Korean Peninsula rather than attempting to change it unreasonably.

This is also true when Trump returns to power. Regardless of the regime, the Middle East and Russia issues are inevitably the top priority for the United States.

However, the difference is in North Korea’s nuclear deterrence and the level of North Korea’s provocations. There is a high possibility that North Korea will calm down somewhat as the ROK-US defense posture continues to develop under Harris’s administration, and many predict that when Trump returns to power, North Korea will actively engage in provocations to attract attention in anticipation of past ‘top-down’ negotiations.

Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University, pointed out, “It is clear that the North Korean issue is not a priority for either Harris or Trump, and as North Korea’s nuclear weapons continue to advance, the threat to us will increase.”

Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said, “If Harris takes office, there will be no significant changes in the structure of the Korean Peninsula, with greater emphasis on the ROK-US alliance. However, as the preparedness posture will be strengthened, North Korea will not be able to create a crisis,” adding, “If Trump comes back to power, North Korea will not be able to create a crisis.” “Because the possibility of negotiation is high, there is a risk that North Korea will put pressure to induce it,” he predicted.

However, experts advise that there is one thing our government must do regardless of the results of the US presidential election. The goal is to draw the international community’s attention to the North Korean nuclear issue and force the United States to take an active role in resolving it.

Professor Park emphasized, “We must make efforts to change the situation on the Korean Peninsula by persuading the U.S. not to give up on North Korea’s denuclearization and talking with Japan as well as China,” adding, “We must attract the U.S. to take an active role in Korean Peninsula issues.” .

uknow@fnnews.com Reporter Kim Yun-ho

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