The Hawks' Intended Counterattack, Blue House Ponders Solutions to 'Bolton Risk'

청 'Bolton's Mouth' Uncontrollable Situation... Managing Korean Peninsula Tensions Is a Prerequisite to Resolving Political Risks

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] "There will be no agreement with North Korea until after the U.S. presidential election."

Former White House National Security Council (NSC) advisor John Bolton's interview with ABC News is closely linked to the political intentions behind the memoir controversy. It is said to be a deliberate counterattack by the U.S. 'hawks' aiming to influence not only the U.S. presidential election but also the Korea Peninsula policy. Bolton, a member of the neoconservatives, effectively declared the end of denuclearization diplomacy.

He laid the groundwork to induce a Korea Peninsula policy that suits neocon tastes. This stance is also similar to the political position of the Abe Shinz? Japanese government. The Blue House is considering a low-key strategy to overcome the 'Bolton risk,' but the fundamental limitation is that they cannot control 'Bolton's mouth.'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Former advisor Bolton is openly revealing his political goal of preventing the re-election of U.S. President Donald Trump. This means his words will serve as a powder keg shaking the diplomatic community for the time being. The problem is that the sparks of controversy are spreading to the Korean Peninsula.

Yoon Do-han, the Senior Secretary for Public Communication, stated on the 22nd that "distorting the sincere and constructive discussions between the South Korea-U.S. leaders based on personal prejudice and preconceptions is an inappropriate behavior lacking basic propriety," which is why the Blue House issued an official statement.

In this regard, the White House has requested corrections and deletions of about 400 items, including over 110 related to the Korean Peninsula, from Bolton's memoir. This is a point that suggests the direction of further legal actions after the injunction against publication was dismissed.

The White House appears to be taking necessary measures to prevent confusion between Bolton's personal opinions on North Korea issues and the official stance of the U.S. government.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Jung Eui-yong, Director of the Presidential National Security Office and Bolton's domestic dialogue partner, also pointed out the facts in the memoir "The Room Where It Happened," stating that "a significant portion is greatly distorted."

Delivering Director Jung's 'distortion of facts' criticism to the U.S. NSC is a move to support the White House's response to Bolton and to mitigate political risks for the Blue House. It is a typical strategy to shake the credibility of the 'message' by attacking the 'messenger.'

The Blue House must also consider variables that the Bolton risk may have on the domestic political landscape. The opposition parties critical of President Moon's Korea Peninsula initiative are escalating their offensive using this incident as an opportunity. This reflects the perception that the approach of seeking denuclearization through trilateral talks among the South Korean, North Korean, and U.S. leaders has now lost its effectiveness. North Korea's continued hostile acts toward the South are also a factor causing difficulties for the Blue House.

Because of this, there is a growing argument that managing the situation to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula is a prerequisite before seeking political solutions to overcome the deadlock. Kim Jun-hyung, President of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, said in an interview with tbs radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' on the 23rd, "(Inter-Korean relations) will have a cooling-off period for the time being," adding, "It is very important to manage the situation to prevent armed conflict."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.