Sharing the Same Stance
South Korean President Park Geun-hye had a phone conversation with United States President-elect Donald Trump on November 10. During their talks, they agreed to the necessity of an even closer alliance between the two countries for a lasting peace in the Asia-Pacific region and an appropriate response to the North Korean nuclear threat.
Their summit meeting is likely to take place soon, probably in April next year, during his state visits to Asian countries. During the phone conversation, she asked him to visit South Korea and the U.S. President-elect gave a positive answer.
Their talks that immediately followed his election and their consensus on the significance of the alliance between South Korea and the United States are expected to result in a lower level of security risks down the road.
Still, some experts are pointing out that the South Korean government needs to remain wary of his stance in that he dubbed South Korea as a security free rider and mentioned the withdrawal of some U.S. troops from South Korea and an increase in South Korea’s share in the United States Forces Korea’s defense expenditures during his election campaigns.