US Expert: "South Korea Should Not Prioritize North Korea Policy... Biden Is Not Ready"

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter, Yoo In-ho Reporter]As the new U.S. administration under Joe Biden inevitably focuses first on major issues such as responding to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), American experts have expressed the opinion that South Korea should not demand that the U.S. prioritize its North Korea policy.

Michael Green, Senior Vice President of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said on the 22nd during an online seminar hosted by the Choi Jong-hyun Academy and CSIS on the theme "The Biden Era and the Korean Peninsula," "We must remember that President Biden faces an enormous array of issues including climate change, the pandemic, economic recovery, Russia, and domestic terrorism," emphasizing this point.

Vice President Green argued that in 2001, then-President Kim Dae-jung pushed President George W. Bush to prioritize a summit with North Korea, stating, "Because of the bad first impression at that time, the South Korea-U.S. alliance and U.S. North Korea policy regressed for six months to a year."

At the summit held shortly after the Bush administration took office, President Kim Dae-jung, who emphasized a policy of reconciliation and cooperation with North Korea, and President Bush, who held a hardline stance toward North Korea, revealed a stark difference in perspectives.

Additionally, President Bush's referring to President Kim as "this man" sparked diplomatic faux pas controversy and was seen as a moment that exposed the uncomfortable South Korea-U.S. relationship.

Vice President Green said, "On the other hand, the Obama team came in without any special agenda regarding the South Korea-U.S. alliance, but President Lee Myung-bak presented a vision that South Korea could be a partner on issues important to President Obama such as the Nuclear Security Summit and democracy, capturing President Obama's attention."

He advised, "I hope the Blue House does not ask for a summit with North Korea or dramatic North Korea policy to be prioritized. The Biden administration is not prepared for that." He suggested that South Korea first express its willingness to cooperate on democracy, COVID-19, and China-related issues.

Mark Lippert, former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, pointed out that during the Donald Trump administration, the two countries "consumed excessive energy" on defense cost-sharing and the South Korea-U.S. working group, and urged that in the Biden era, the two countries strengthen the alliance through close cooperation.

He said, "The two countries should actively engage in traditional alliance issues such as security and the economy while modernizing the alliance to better align positions on North Korea, trade, and the Indo-Pacific strategy."

Wendy Cutler, former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) who was in charge of the South Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, said, "There are many opportunities for the two countries to cooperate in the economic sector to address regional challenges."

She proposed that the two countries coordinate export controls and investment restriction policies in response to China's challenges, support allies who have suffered economic retaliation from China, and cooperate to reduce supply chain dependence on China.

Richard Armitage, former Deputy Secretary of State, said regarding the North Korean nuclear issue, "Some problems just have to be managed," adding, "While nuclear proliferation must be prevented, nuclear weapons have already proliferated in North Korea and that is a done deal."

He argued, "As long as North Korea does not harm the people of South Korea, Japan, and the United States, managing this issue for the time being is the most reasonable choice we can make."

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