Trump 2.0 Era in the U.S.

On the 19th (local time), a large banner bearing the face of President Donald Trump was hung on the U.S. Department of Justice building. The Associated Press reported that concerns were being raised about damage to judicial independence. On the 20th, Yonhap News, citing foreign media including the Associated Press, reported that the banner, which was hung between two pillars on the exterior wall of the Department of Justice building, carried the phrase "Making America Safe Again" beneath President Trump’s photo. This phrase is a slogan the Trump administration uses when touting its crackdown on illegal immigration and violent crime as an achievement. In connection with this, the Department of Justice said in a statement, "We are proud to commemorate our historic work to make America safe again at the direction of President Trump." The Associated Press interpreted the scene as a "striking" image that symbolically shows that the Department of Justice’s traditional value of maintaining i

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, announced the commencement of construction for a large ballroom within the White House. This comes approximately three months after Caroline Levitt, the White House spokesperson, hinted at the construction of a large ballroom around July. On October 20 (local time), President Trump wrote on his social networking service, Truth Social, "I am pleased to announce the groundbreaking of a new, large, and beautiful White House ballroom on the White House grounds." He added, "The East Wing, which is completely separate from the main White House building, is being fully modernized as part of this (ballroom construction) process, and upon completion, it will be more beautiful than ever."He continued, "For more than 150 years, every president has dreamed of having a ballroom in the White House to host grand parties and state visits," emphasizing, "It is an honor to be the first president to finally move forward with this much-needed project." Abo

Controversy continues to surround President Donald Trump over allegations that he is using his presidential office for personal gain. While there were multiple conflict of interest controversies during his first administration, critics now argue that in his second term he is even more blatantly using the White House to benefit his family financially. According to Forbes, as of March, President Trump's assets were valued at $5.1 billion (approximately 7.05 trillion won). With the fervent support of his base, his return to politics through the 2024 presidential election has nearly doubled his wealth compared to two years ago. Summit to be Held at Trump Resort... Overseas Trips at Trump Golf Courses Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that President Trump plans to host next year's Group of 20 (G20) summit at his own resort in Doral, Florida. The United States is the host country for the G20 summit next year, and preliminary planning is underway. According to sources, while a final decisio

Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yooncheol and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant will sit down at the negotiating table on the 31st. This will be the first and last round of talks, taking place just one day before the mutual tariff imposition deadline (August 1) announced by President Donald Trump. Unlike Japan and the European Union (EU), which reached agreements after a total of eight rounds of high-level negotiations, or China, where an agreement is within reach, this is effectively Korea's first high-level tariff negotiation. This meeting will serve to finalize the negotiation draft prepared over the weekend by Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeonggwan and Chief Trade Negotiator Yeo Hangoo, whose ministry is responsible for trade. The main agenda items are expected to include the scale of Korean investment in the U.S., cooperation in the shipbuilding industry?considered Korea's strategic bargaining chip?and further ope

On July 24, the city of Pohang held the 13th East Sea Rim International Symposium in the main conference room of City Hall, discussing development strategies and tasks for Pohang amid changes in the international trade order following the launch of the second Trump administration.Hosted by the Yeongnam Ilbo, the symposium was attended by Pohang Mayor Lee Kangdeok and both domestic and international experts in diplomacy, economics, and industry. The event focused on crisis response for key regional industries such as steel and secondary batteries, as well as cooperation strategies within the East Sea Rim region.In the keynote address, Cho Byungjae, former Chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, stated, "With the emergence of the second Trump administration, the trade environment will become even more uncertain," and emphasized, "To turn this crisis into an opportunity, we must further expand cooperation initiatives among East Sea Rim cities."In the following presentation, L

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yoonchul will depart for the United States on the morning of July 24 to negotiate tariffs with the United States. Just four days after taking office as the new government's chief economic policymaker, he is heading to the US for 2+2 trade negotiations. Koo is scheduled to leave Incheon International Airport at 10:25 a.m. on Korean Air flight KE093 and arrive in Washington, D.C. at 11:15 a.m. local time. For his first official engagement in the United States, Koo will meet with two major US think tanks in Washington, D.C.: the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) and the Peterson Institute for International Economics. AFPI is a pro-Trump research organization established to support the re-election of US President Donald Trump and has produced many key officials for the Trump administration's second term. The Peterson Institute is well known as a leading progressive private policy research institution in the United States. Th

The U.S. stock market recorded its worst performance in 50 years during the first 100 days of the 'Trump second term.' On the 29th (local time), the Financial Times (FT), citing data from financial information provider FactSet, reported that the S&P 500 index, which is centered on large-cap stocks, posted its largest decline in the first 100 days after President Donald Trump took office since the inauguration of former President Gerald Ford in 1974. Wall Street analysts attributed the poor performance of the U.S. stock market to President Trump's aggressive reciprocal tariff policies, which disrupted global trade networks and caused turmoil in the world economy. Lisa Shalett, Chief Investment Officer (CIO) at Morgan Stanley, said, "Investors are feeling fatigued. President Trump's tariff policies have increased uncertainty and triggered market turbulence." George Pearkes of Bespoke Investment also commented, "The current market is like a coyote running off a cliff, unaware of how f

Korean trio rapper group 'Homies' held a concert in China for the first time in eight years as Korean nationality singers. According to diplomatic sources on the 17th, Homies held the first performance of their spring tour 'Brothers' on the 12th of this month in Wuhan, Hubei Province, central China, meeting with fans. China has applied an unofficial retaliatory measure called 'Hanhanryeong' (限韓令, Hallyu Restriction Order), which restricts Korean music, dramas, and movies, since around 2016 in response to the deployment of the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile defense system by the US Forces Korea. Since then, Korean pop singers have not been permitted to perform in China. In July last year, news emerged that Korean rock band 'Say Sue Me' would perform in Beijing. The ambassador to China expressed a welcoming stance, but the concert was suddenly canceled three weeks before the event. It was suggested that somewhat negative public opinion and media attention toward Kore

With the impeachment of former President Yoon Seok-yeol plunging the country into a presidential election crisis, concerns are growing about the future of the South Korean economy. This is because the movements of domestic and international variables threatening the Korean economy, such as the low-growth wave and the tariff bombardment originating from the United States, are gaining momentum. As the country faces a leadership vacuum for two months until the presidential election, there are increasing worries that the Korean economy, which has been drifting for nearly four months since the martial law incident, may be swallowed by the election black hole, pushing economic issues to a lower priority. To minimize domestic and external risks until the June presidential election, it is pointed out that the economic team led by Choi Sang-mok, who will play the role of the closing pitcher, must be empowered to swiftly restore economic diplomacy. Choi Sang-mok Heads to G20... Initiates Restor

Choi Sang-mok, Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister as well as Minister of Strategy and Finance, urged on the 24th, "Regarding sensitive countries, a government joint task force (TF) will be formed centered on relevant agencies to promptly proceed with follow-up consultations with the U.S. side." Acting President Choi made this statement while presiding over a meeting on external economic issues at the Government Seoul Office that morning. Acting President Choi received a report on the results of Minister An Deok-geun of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's visit to the U.S. from the 20th to 21st of last month, including meetings with the U.S. Secretary of Energy and Secretary of Commerce, and reviewed the U.S. new administration's trends and our response plans related to mutual tariffs and item-specific tariffs scheduled to be announced on the 2nd of next month. Acting President Choi instructed related ministries, "With the U.S. announcement imminent, let us not relax ou