Who from the political circle will attend Trump's inauguration... National Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee "Final review in progress"

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With less than a month remaining until the inauguration of Donald Trump as the President of the United States, it has been confirmed that the National Assembly Standing Committee is considering officially dispatching a delegation of lawmakers. Amid the chaotic situations such as the December 3 emergency martial law incident and the passage of the impeachment motion, the attendance has not yet been finalized, but a conclusion is expected soon.

Kim Seok-ki, a member of the People Power Party and chairman of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, told Asia Economy on the 24th, "The decision on whether the Foreign Affairs Committee will participate in the inauguration is not yet finalized," but added, "It is under review."

Yonhap News

In the political sphere, there had been prior discussions through party-to-party consultations with the U.S. Republican Party to form a delegation to attend the inauguration as an invitation from President-elect Trump. However, those consultations were suspended due to the emergency martial law situation. As the inauguration approaches in about a month, the Foreign Affairs Committee has recently begun reconsidering the formation of the delegation. Kim Geon, the ruling party secretary of the Foreign Affairs Committee from the People Power Party, said, "With little time left, we are actively reviewing the matter," adding, "The final decision will be made by the chairman's office of the Foreign Affairs Committee." However, it is reported that from the ruling party's perspective, it is burdensome to hastily decide on attending the inauguration without the government’s delegation being finalized. Currently, only Kim Dae-sik and Cho Jeong-hoon, members of the People Power Party, have been invited to the inauguration and the inaugural ball in a personal capacity. The two lawmakers plan to depart on the 18th of next month to attend the inauguration.

The opposition insists that attendance at the inauguration is essential to dispel concerns from the U.S. government. In the past, official delegations from the National Assembly Standing Committee attended the inaugurations of President Joe Biden in 2021 and previously in 2017. Kim Young-bae, the opposition secretary of the Foreign Affairs Committee from the Democratic Party, stated, "We need to strongly appeal to the U.S. government that the Republic of Korea remains resilient," adding, "The key is to alleviate concerns about Korea being sidelined due to political instability. Rather than hastily discussing specific issues, we plan to convey a message asking them to observe Korea’s situation over time."

On the 11th, at the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee held in the National Assembly, seats were left empty as ruling party lawmakers and government officials including the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Unification were absent. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

It is indeed true that concerns about Korea being sidelined by the U.S. government are gradually intensifying. Earlier, on the 16th (local time), President-elect Trump held his first press conference after winning the election and made no mention of Korea, sparking fears of 'Korean diplomatic sidelining.' During the press conference, Trump mentioned that he would talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding the Ukraine war, and also expressed willingness to engage in dialogue with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, but Korea was notably absent. Lawmaker Kim expressed concerns that if the U.S. government continues to sideline Korea diplomatically, it could directly affect trade issues for Korean companies. According to Kim, the Democratic Party side is also considering sending an additional Foreign Affairs Committee member from the same party to the U.S. alongside him to address these concerns.

Within the political sphere, there are calls to promptly form an official delegation due to worries that diplomatic and security sidelining could even disrupt the Korea-U.S. economic alliance. It is argued that parliamentary diplomacy should be normalized on behalf of the government. This urgency is heightened by the possibility of increased uncertainties immediately after the launch of Trump’s second term, such as tariff impositions and the repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Fortunately, Kim Hong-gyun, the First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is currently visiting the U.S., met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell on the 24th (local time) and initiated the resumption of face-to-face diplomacy that had been suspended following the emergency martial law incident. Vice Minister Kim stated, "We have agreed to fully resume diplomatic and security schedules, including the previously halted Korea-U.S. nuclear consultation group meetings, and to hold them as soon as possible at a convenient time."

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