The warmth of Korean-American relations during President Yoon Seok-yeol was incredible.
US and South Korean militaries conduct joint exercise, President Biden meets with Yun and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hold hands Last year it was “three-way” ecstasy at Camp David. But now, suddenly and without warning, we have entered a new era with Yun. declare martial law For the first time in about 50 years.
Yun's death is not exactly the equivalent of war, but the imposition of martial law and the subsequent impact of his death. Almost instant reversal The decision completely surprised everyone. Some intelligence agents claim they knew what was about to happen, but even if they did, they did not share that information with Ambassador Philip Goldberg or the commander of U.S. Forces Korea, Gen. Paul LaCamera. I must have neglected to tell you.
American officials are falling back on familiar clichés. What kind of alliance do they claim? “Iron-clad” And, of course, “there is no daylight between us.” But we know that such expressions of solidarity can lead to questions and confusion. Another word that Americans often use is “resilience” celebrates South Korea's ability to come together and move forward amidst a miasma of political strife, protests, unrest, and uncertainty about where the country is headed.
Where was the CIA, a know-it-all that often turns out to know almost nothing? For some reason, it often seems that way in modern Korean history. This eccentric expert may claim to have read or heard that some American advisers in Korea witnessed this incident. North Korea invasion There are those who arrived in June 1950 and others who, with perfect hindsight, swear they knew that five months later Chinese troops would be pushing into the upper reaches of North Korea. But General MacArthur certainly knew nothing.
The problem is not just Yoon's unpopularity. He was elected in 2022 as an antidote to leftist President Moon Jae-in, who was also unpopular, but has since come out. look like an idiot He was trying to get along with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
It wasn't entirely Moon's fault. After meeting Kim in Pyongyang in April 2018, he thought he would be immortalized as the leader who brought the two Koreas back together. This was a full two months before Donald Trump met with Kim in the most high-profile event of his first presidential term. Kim in Singapore — The Beginning bromance It may or may not have stood the test of time.
Trump's Second summit strike Moon's appointment as president was doomed after meeting with Kim in Hanoi in February 2019. Mr. Kim showed how little he thought about this vile nuisance from the south by categorically ignoring it. refuse to see him again. Mr. Kim did not care about Mr. Moon at all. He must get Trump through a deal that justifies the nuclear program and proves Trump's superiority over the entire peninsula, even if he isn't trying to start a second Korean War to prove the point. I was sure.
Yun, Minju's next leader (or Democratic Party), wasn't that bad of a president. His greatest success was restore military ties with the United States. President Moon has blocked joint field exercises with the U.S. military, belittled U.S. officials, and has done everything in his power to destroy it, believing that once Kim proves his independence from Washington, they will meet again. Ta. It didn't work.
In this political season, the problem is Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party whom Mr. Yoon defeated. less than 1 point In the 2022 election. He has been accused of numerous crimes while amassing a fortune in real estate and construction during his time as mayor of Seongnam, a bustling city just south of Seoul. Found guilty and given a suspended sentence He was accused of making false statements while losing his first presidential election. He's likely to run again — if Yoon does, then soon. be kicked out of work.
The turmoil at the top of a system in which Americans thought they were firmly on their side provoked familiar anxieties. There is no way Washington could feel comfortable dealing with someone like Lee. We are already bowing and bowing before too many corrupt leaders. Will Washington's diplomatic favorites now bow down before Mr. Lee, ignoring the widespread view that he should go to prison rather than to the heights of power?
The American believed that Mr. Yun had a lover of his own. In Yun's absence, it will take all the skills of the best diplomats and smooth talkers to perpetuate a bond that has seen countless ups and downs since President Harry Truman came to South Korea's aid in the Korean War. will be required.
Consider President Park Chung Hee's 18 years and 5 months of trouble. assassination In 1979, another general, Chun Doo-hwan, rose to power. lasting dictatorship He declared martial law and ordered troops into the southwestern city of Gwangju, which remains a hotbed of anti-government sentiment, to quell the uprising at great cost. Approximately 200 lives. and, weeks of all-nighters In central Seoul, hundreds of thousands of people held electronic candles in paper cups and demanded the death of President Park's daughter, Park Geun-hye. exiled, impeached, and imprisoned In 2017.
There is no doubt that the special relationship between Washington and Seoul will endure, albeit wavering, but it is too deeply rooted in society to be divisive. But you never know if President Trump will be in the White House. His appeal to South Korea is Ante up Ten times the $1 billion a year it pays US troops and bases to defend South Korea is being watched with alarm from all quarters in Seoul. And now what would happen if he suddenly ordered the withdrawal of American troops? Approximately 28,500most of them headquartered at America's largest overseas base at Camp Humphreys, 40 miles below Seoul?
South Korea's deep divisions are all in the hands of North Korea. Kim Jong Un completely cuts off the possibility of dialogue with Yun and declares to South Korea “It's the enemy.” I'm silently watching now. He may want to talk to President Trump again, and may be open to communication with the South Korean government, but he won't insist on anyone's terms, only his own. Probably.
Regardless of who leads South Korea, Kim has no choice but to gain strength from this turmoil, knowing that both Russia and China are on his side and waiting for the moment when he can unify the entire peninsula.
Donald Kirk has been a journalist for more than 60 years, focusing much of his career on conflicts in Asia and the Middle East, including as a correspondent for the Washington Star and Chicago Tribune. He is currently a freelance correspondent covering North and South Korea and is the author of several books on Asian affairs.
