Page 231 - Trilateral Korea Japan U.S. Cooperation

Let’s be honest! There is a growing sense of urgency, especially
in Seoul but also in Tokyo and even Washington, behind
the need for institutionalization of this trilateral effort.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol has demonstrated
extraordinary political courage in his attempt to build a better
relationship between Seoul and Tokyo but he is limited to one
term and many are already calling him a “lame duck” given the
ruling party’s setbacks in recent legislative elections. Japanese
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has likewise been more
forthcoming than many of his predecessors in opening his
arms to his South Korean counterpart, but he too is on shaky
domestic political grounds. Finally, and most significantly, the
U.S. elections might (or might not) result in a major change in
alliance management tactics and perhaps policy, depending on
who is elected.

I am not foolhardy enough to try and predict what former
President Donald Trump’s Korea policy might be if the
American people return him to the Oval Office. Current
candidate Trump is already saying things that are making
alliance supporters in Seoul and Tokyo (and Washington, and
Europe, and almost everywhere else) very nervous. But, if the
past is a precedent (and it often, but not always is), then it’s
useful to distinguish between what then-President Trump said
and what the Trump administration did.

The former Trump administration’s National Security
Strategy and National Defense Strategy documents, which
outline and guide U.S. policy, are remarkably similar to those
that preceded and followed them. This is because, while
political parties and political rhetoric and catchphrases change

Chapter Fourteen : Standing Firm Against North Korea-China Challenges 231