What does Lee Sun-ho say Seoul and Washington should do as U.S.-North Korea dialogue possibilities grow?

He says the allies should carefully manage the alliance, send high-level envoys to deal with the fallout from reduced joint military exercises, and prepare new forms of leverage for any renewed talks with North Korea. He also urges them to keep security issues separate from economic disputes.

Why does Lee Sun-ho think North Korea may wait before returning to talks with the United States?

He says Pyongyang has less urgent need for sanctions relief than in the past and is watching an international environment in which the U.S., China, Japan, Russia and South Korea all show interest in engaging it. He says Kim Jong-un is likely to wait until conditions become more favorable to North Korean interests.

What risks does the column link to Donald Trump's approach toward North Korea talks?

The column says Trump has avoided saying denuclearization while trying to bring Kim Jong-un back to the table, which unsettles South Korea and Japan. It argues that this weakens confidence in U.S. security commitments and could encourage allies to look for other ways to ensure their own survival.

Time to manage risks of US-NK dialogue

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Summary

Lee Sun-ho says signs of resumed U.S.-North Korea dialogue are putting South Korea under pressure and raising alliance risks. He argues that Washington and Seoul should manage fallout from reduced joint military exercises, keep tariffs, investments and the Coupang dispute separate from security issues, and prepare new leverage for any renewed talks. He also says Kim Jong-un is likely to wait for a negotiating environment more favorable to North Korea.

Key Facts

Trump suspended joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington after the Singapore summit on June 12, 2018, and did so again this year.
The U.S. midterm elections are less than two months away, and the war with Iran is still dragging on.
Trump has not been mentioning North Korea's denuclearization as he seeks to bring Kim Jong-un back to talks.
The columnist says Seoul and Washington should use high-level envoys to address the fallout from scaling back joint military exercises.
He says bilateral issues such as tariffs, investments and the Coupang dispute should be handled through dedicated channels, separate from security matters.

By Lee Sun-ho

Published Sep 21, 2026 1:20 pm KST

As the signs of resuming dialogue between the United States and North Korea, also the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), emerge with possible dates touted as around November or December this year, South Korea is feeling the pressure just even at the dialogue's potential feasibility. Not only are there domestic political pressures to consider, but the uncertainty and risks surrounding the U.S.-ROK alliance could grow further.

The security situation on the Korean Peninsula is once again in a state of significant flux. U.S. President Donald Trump suspended joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington shortly after holding his first summit in Singapore with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un on June 12, 2018. He did so again this year. However, the current situation is different and complex. With the U.S. midterm elections just less than two months away and the war with Iran dragging on, the Trump administration finds itself in need of a change in momentum and tangible diplomatic achievements.

The most immediate and pressing issue is the lack of clarity regarding the ultimate objective of the talks. Trump has refrained from mentioning North Korea's denuclearization as he seeks to bring Kim, whom he referred to as "little rocket man" and a "pretty smart cookie," back to the negotiating table. However, this approach unsettles allies such as South Korea and Japan. It significantly undermines confidence in U.S. security commitments and pushes allies to seek alternative ways to ensure their own survival.

Meanwhile, Pyongyang currently has little reason to rush back into talks with Washington. Unlike in the past, when North Korea engaged in summits out of a need for sanctions relief, the international security environment has changed. At a time when the U.S., China, Japan, Russia and South Korea are all signaling interest in engaging DPRK, Kim is likely to adopt a wait-and-see approach until a negotiating environment favorable to his interests emerges.

In a time of increased unpredictability, friction within the South Korea-U.S. alliance presents an opportunity for DPRK, which continues to treat ROK as a hostile state and reject inter-Korean dialogue. If alliance cohesion were to weaken even further under these circumstances, there is a high probability that North Korea would engage in bilateral talks with the U.S. to fully exploit the rift between Washington and Seoul.

Therefore, this is a critical moment requiring careful management of the alliance between South Korea and the U.S. Seoul and Washington should consider dispatching high-level envoys to address the fallout from the decision to scale back joint military exercises. Both sides should also separate thorny bilateral issues, such as tariffs, investments and the Coupang dispute, from security matters and focus on resolving them through dedicated channels. In addition, Seoul and Washington need new forms of leverage that go beyond existing frameworks in preparation for any possibility of renewed talks between the U.S. and North Korea.

Lee Sun-ho (wkexim@naver.com) is a freelance columnist living in Seoul.

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