The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Kim Min-gyu, Go Bo-gyeol bid farewell to 'The Heavenly Idol'

  • 3

    Han Suk-kyu on return of 'Dr. Romantic' with Season 3

  • 5

    Genesis launches 2023 G90 sedan

  • 7

    Churches, Seoul gov't unite to fight low birthrate

  • 9

    Burnout: Cardiothoracic surgery residents work 102 hours a week

  • 11

    Kakao Entertainment, Colombia Record team up for IVE's North American debut

  • 13

    Kyochon heralds 30,000 won fried chicken era

  • 15

    BTS' Jimin releases solo album

  • 17

    Crypto founder Do Kwon is indicted in US, following Montenegro arrest

  • 19

    Over 70% of firms unwilling to embrace longer workweek

  • 2

    Zoo shares sad story of what caused Sero the zebra to escape

  • 4

    Kim Nam-gil to embark on Asia fan-meeting tour

  • 6

    N. Korea tests 'underwater nuclear attack drone,' cruise missiles for nuclear warhead: KCNA

  • 8

    North Korea will pay price for reckless provocations, warns Yoon

  • 10

    Hybe to sell SM shares to Kakao following failed takeover bid

  • 12

    What's next for Do Kwon?

  • 14

    Second daughter of Daesang chairman promoted to vice president

  • 16

    More companies adopt electronic voting amid increase in shareholder activism

  • 18

    Samsung Electronics chief to attend China Development Forum

  • 20

    Samsung Display strike looms due to deadlocked wage negotiations

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Sun, March 26, 2023 | 02:03
Politics
Trump's North Korea policy shakes up South Korea's ideological politics
Posted : 2019-07-09 09:17
Updated : 2019-07-10 10:15
Jung Min-ho
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
A member of the Korean Veterans Association holds a card showing images of U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in during a rally to welcome Trump's visit to Seoul on June 30. Trump's drastic North Korea policy shift over the past two years has confused conservatives and liberals in South Korea because it challenges their traditional ideological lines. AP
A member of the Korean Veterans Association holds a card showing images of U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in during a rally to welcome Trump's visit to Seoul on June 30. Trump's drastic North Korea policy shift over the past two years has confused conservatives and liberals in South Korea because it challenges their traditional ideological lines. AP

By Jung Min-ho

'Stop provoking ally': Korea's conservatives slam Trump
'Stop provoking ally': Korea's conservatives slam Trump
2019-08-14 09:19  |  Politics

It used to be simple: conservatives in South Korea view the United States far more favorably than liberals, especially when it comes to its unwavering North Korea policy. No longer.

U.S. President Donald Trump's drastic North Korea policy shift ― from
"fire and fury" to warm handshakes with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in less than two years ― has confused conservatives and the liberals alike because it challenges their traditional ideological lines.

Some liberal opinion leaders, including best-selling author and former health minister Rhyu Si-min, who were once critical of Trump, now praise his "peace efforts" in dealing with North Korea ― a major fault line in South Korean politics. On the other hand,
leading conservatives, who generally support a more confrontational approach to the regime, increasingly become uneasy about his "political show."

A member of the Korean Veterans Association holds a card showing images of U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in during a rally to welcome Trump's visit to Seoul on June 30. Trump's drastic North Korea policy shift over the past two years has confused conservatives and liberals in South Korea because it challenges their traditional ideological lines. AP
Michael Butler.
Michael Butler, a political science professor at Clark University, said he believes the growing support of South Korean liberals for the Trump approach stems from hopes and expectations for more inter-Korean cooperation, which they have long supported.

"Korean liberals likely appreciate that both leaders (Trump and Kim) have other agendas and motives apart from peace, but view these engagements in any case as providing a window of opportunity for further inter-Korean cooperation," Butler told The Korea Times.

"Trump's haphazard and clumsy courting 'normalizes' Kim, which liberals see as creating space for actual meaningful diplomatic engagements between North and South Korea."

He noted that, for conservatives, all of this was unsettling because it portended a break from the status quo and established relations, while at the same time seemingly absolving the North Korean regime of its "sins" in one fell swoop.

A member of the Korean Veterans Association holds a card showing images of U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in during a rally to welcome Trump's visit to Seoul on June 30. Trump's drastic North Korea policy shift over the past two years has confused conservatives and liberals in South Korea because it challenges their traditional ideological lines. AP
Timothy Rich.
But still, most conservatives and liberals have maintained their long-held stances on the U.S. and its North Korea policy, trying to understand what Trump's presidency really means to the future of their country.

Before and during Trump's visit to Seoul (June 29-30), hundreds of people led by liberal civic groups held rallies against him with banners such as "No Sanctions" and "End Korean War" ― ideas, interestingly, more opposed by
some American liberals than Trump himself.

"There does seem to be greater hope out of South Korean liberals regarding Trump-Kim talks, but I think part of that might be a reflection of party politics in Korea and the role of South Korean President Moon Jae-In as a broker between Trump and Kim," said Timothy Rich, a political science professor at Western Kentucky University.

"My sense is that the liberals seem more optimistic about a possible breakthrough, while conservatives are far more cautious about interactions with Kim.

"Frankly, there should be concern that, because Trump seems to see the world in transactional terms, that he'll try to conclude a quick deal with Kim that in the short term looks good, but lead to no substantive changes in North Korea's nuclear program. After all, North Korea has the same capabilities now as they did before Trump's 'Rocket Man' comments in 2017."

A member of the Korean Veterans Association holds a card showing images of U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in during a rally to welcome Trump's visit to Seoul on June 30. Trump's drastic North Korea policy shift over the past two years has confused conservatives and liberals in South Korea because it challenges their traditional ideological lines. AP
Robert Gulotty.
Robert Gulotty, a political science professor at the University of Chicago, noted it is not that uncommon for there to be a mismatch between the domestic ideological commitments of a U.S. president and U.S. allies.

"It reminds me somewhat as the reverse of the odd coupling of Tony Blair, ostensibly a Labor Party leader, and George W. Bush, who was really quite conservative. That the two managed to agree on the invasion of Iraq is quite striking, but it shows that there does not need to be total alignment when it comes to security policy," Gulotty said.

In the U.S. context, he added, liberals had not turned to an aggressive position toward North Korea, although they may seem to have done so.

"It is confusing, as the liberals' default position is that U.S. leaders should criticize North Korea's human rights violations, but not push for regime change," Gulotty said.

"It is not that U.S. liberals have switched positions; they don't have consistent opposition to be talking without preconditions, but rather, the liberals do not trust the Trump administration to achieve anything by doing so."



Emailmj6c2@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
Top 10 Stories
1Zoo shares sad story of what caused Sero the zebra to escape Zoo shares sad story of what caused Sero the zebra to escape
2Genesis launches 2023 G90 sedan Genesis launches 2023 G90 sedan
3Churches, Seoul gov't unite to fight low birthrate Churches, Seoul gov't unite to fight low birthrate
4North Korea will pay price for reckless provocations, warns Yoon North Korea will pay price for reckless provocations, warns Yoon
5Burnout: Cardiothoracic surgery residents work 102 hours a week Burnout: Cardiothoracic surgery residents work 102 hours a week
6What's next for Do Kwon? What's next for Do Kwon?
7Kyochon heralds 30,000 won fried chicken era Kyochon heralds 30,000 won fried chicken era
8Second daughter of Daesang chairman promoted to vice president Second daughter of Daesang chairman promoted to vice president
9More companies adopt electronic voting amid increase in shareholder activism More companies adopt electronic voting amid increase in shareholder activism
10Over 70% of firms unwilling to embrace longer workweek Over 70% of firms unwilling to embrace longer workweek
Top 5 Entertainment News
1Kim Min-gyu, Go Bo-gyeol bid farewell to 'The Heavenly Idol' Kim Min-gyu, Go Bo-gyeol bid farewell to 'The Heavenly Idol'
2Yoo Yeon-seok threatens to sue people spreading accusations about him Yoo Yeon-seok threatens to sue people spreading accusations about him
3Han Suk-kyu on return of 'Dr. Romantic' with Season 3 Han Suk-kyu on return of 'Dr. Romantic' with Season 3
4Kim Nam-gil to embark on Asia fan-meeting tour Kim Nam-gil to embark on Asia fan-meeting tour
5Lee Som, Ahn Jae-hong to play married couple in Tving's new series Lee Som, Ahn Jae-hong to play married couple in Tving's new series
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group