Victor Cha: "South Korean Government Must Build Close Ties with President-elect Trump"
Following the recent U.S. presidential election, interest in President-elect Donald Trump's foreign policy has been rising. In this context, Victor Cha, Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), has advised that the South Korean government must establish a close relationship with the President-elect.
Victor Cha cited the example of the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He emphasized that former Prime Minister Abe protected Japan's interests by maintaining a very close personal relationship with the President-elect. He expressed the opinion that South Korea also needs such a strategy in preparation for dialogue with the United States.
Furthermore, Cha analyzed the President-elect's work style. He explained that while the President-elect prefers summits, he tends to leave the specific details of negotiations to his working-level staff. Therefore, it is expected that the working-level coordination process will be time-consuming.
In conclusion, it appears that the South Korean government needs to strengthen communication with the incoming U.S. administration and prepare systematically starting from the working level. Amidst the rapidly changing international situation, South Korea's diplomatic response is more critical than ever.