Yoon and Trump discuss North Korea's role in Ukraine conflict
The President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, spoke by phone with the winner of the United States presidential election, Donald Trump, discussing North Korea and its soldiers supporting Russia in the war against Ukraine, a presidential office official announced for Yoon late Wednesday night Greenwich Mean Time.
During the 12-minute conversation, Yoon congratulated Trump on his victory, and both leaders agreed "to meet as soon as possible once they manage to determine a time and place," said Kim Tae-hyo, the deputy national security adviser to the South Korean president, to journalists.
They discussed Ukraine
The leaders talked about the ties between their countries in the fields of economy and security. They discussed the situation in North Korea, including its missile tests and nuclear armament, as well as its dispatching of soldiers to assist Russia in the war against Ukraine.
Yoon later declared at a press conference that his government will cooperate with the new US administration to build a "perfect partnership" in security and maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Trump won. "Changes and unpredictability"
However, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported, citing expert analyses, that Trump’s second term may bring "changes and unpredictability" to South Korea’s alliance with the US and pressure Seoul to bear more costs of this partnership.
Trump, known for his "transactional view" on alliances, may push for a renegotiation of the agreement with South Korea and demand that Seoul cover a larger share of the costs for supporting the 28,500 American soldiers stationed in the country, Yonhap reported.
