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Yoon, Trump discuss alliance, economic cooperation, North Korea in first phone call
2024-11-09
President Yoon Suk Yeol said during a press conference Thursday that he and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump discussed the strong solidarity and partnership based on the South Korea-U.S. alliance in their first phone conversation earlier that morning.
At the same time, Yoon noted that Seoul is making efforts to minimize any potential blowback on South Korea's economy with an expected shift in U.S. trade policies favoring American companies following Trump's return to the White House come January.
"We are making various efforts to minimize any damage to our economy and losses for our people," Yoon said in a televised press conference at the Yongsan presidential office regarding concerns over the impact of former President Trump's re-election on the South Korean economy.
Regarding a reporter's question on the increased uncertainty stemming from Trump's promise to raise tariffs on imports, Yoon acknowledged that there may be differences from the Joe Biden administration but assured that "risk hedging preparations have already been in place" for a long time.
Earlier Thursday morning, Yoon made his first phone call with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to congratulate him on his election victory and convey hope that the Seoul-Washington alliance will continue its close partnership in all areas, including security and economy, the presidential office said. Trump said he looks forward to continuing the good cooperative relationship between South Korea and the United States.
Trump is believed to perceive relations with even American allies as transactional, which can prove to be a midterm test for the Yoon administration's diplomatic prowess going forward as it has been built on the principles of strengthening the South Korea-U.S. alliance and its values-based diplomacy.
"South Korea is highly dependent on foreign countries as it needs to make money through exports," Yoon said.
During their first phone call, Trump said the U.S. shipbuilding industry needs help and cooperation from Seoul, according to the presidential office, noting South Korea's ability to build world-class warships and vessels, along with repair and maintenance abilities.
Regarding such remarks, Yoon said in the press conference that South Korea is ready to "actively participate" in shipbuilding cooperation "for the sake of the U.S. economy and security."
He further said the two sides discussed a range of North Korea-related issues, including Pyongayng's sending of trash-laden balloons to the South, GPS jamming attacks and the launching of missiles, including a recent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test.
"We decided to meet in the near future and discuss a lot of information and plans," Yoon said.
Yoon said that the American politicians he had met remarked that he and Trump would "work well together."
Likewise, Yoon said he had "positive discussions" with Trump on the phone and stressed that he believed that trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan "would proceed well even during the Trump administration."
Yoon has worked with Biden to enhance U.S. extended deterrence to Korea by forming a bilateral Nuclear Consultative Group last year and further strengthened three-way security cooperation with Japan through agreements signed at the Camp David summit in August 2023.
However, Trump has generally demanded American allies pay more for defense, including the cost of stationing U.S. troops, and questioned the need to extend a nuclear umbrella to Seoul and Tokyo.
During their 12-minute phone call starting at 7:59 a.m., Yoon congratulated Trump on his landslide victory with his "Make America Great Again" slogan, said Kim Tae-hyo, principal deputy national security adviser, and the two sides agreed to build on common leadership in the Korean Peninsula, the Indo-Pacific region and at the global level.
The two sides also discussed "in detail" the situation in North Korea and shared concerns over the urgent situation in Ukraine, Yoon's office said.
Yoon and Trump's first phone call took place around 90 minutes before one between the U.S. president-elect and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the first foreign leader Trump met after he was elected in 2016.
South Korean Ambassador to the United States Cho Hyun-dong likewise visited Mar-a-Lago in Florida after Trump's election victory Wednesday, Foreign Ministry officials confirmed Thursday, setting in motion a communication channel with the transition team.
Trump's return to the White House next January could also mark a shift in the U.S. stance on issues like Russia's war on Ukraine. During his campaign, Trump called the war a "mistake" and declared he could end it "in 24 hours," which has concerned Ukraine and NATO.
When asked by a reporter Thursday about the possibility of South Korea providing lethal weapons to Ukraine, Yoon said, "We will change the method of support in a phased manner depending on the degree of North Korean military involvement" in Russia's war with Ukraine.
He noted that variables include the transfer of Russia's sensitive military technology to North Korea, which could threaten the South's security, or if North Korean special forces dispatched to Russia enter combat.
Yoon said that when North Korea's special forces engage in combat for the first time, they may face challenges, but as time goes by and they gain experience in modern warfare, "it could become a fatal problem for our security."
While aid to Ukraine has been humanitarian and economic thus far, Yoon said if South Korea decides to provide any weapons, it will prioritize defensive arms first.
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