Moon's successful visit to U.S.

By Tong Kim

President Moon Jae-in’s first visit to Washington has turned out as an impressive success, considering some prior concerns that it might not have gone well because of differences with President Trump with regard to North Korea, THAAD deployment and trade.

Through “tremendous discussions” over a formal dinner at the White House and more talks in a one-on-one plus an expanded meeting, the Korean President built “trust and friendship” with President Donald Trump, reconfirmed the ROK-U.S. alliance, and agreed to work together to eliminate the threats of North Korea’s nuclear and missile capability in cooperation with the international community.

Before Moon touched down in Washington, D.C., he had addressed some concerns of his perceived positions. He made clear that North Korea should not be rewarded for its bad behavior, and a nuclear freeze should be the condition for dialogue. He also assured the completion of THAAD deployment in Korea after meeting the domestic procedural requirements.

In a well-choreographed itinerary, Moon paid tribute to the Korean War heroes at the Chosin Reservoir Battle Memorial. Without their sacrifices, Moon’s parents would not have been able to come down to the South as refugees from the North during the war. He then met with Congressional leaders, had a dinner meeting with a group of American executives, and he also visited the Korean War Memorial with Vice President Pence. He went through them all before his official summit on Friday morning.

There was no joint statement, but a joint press conference with each president announcing his statement at the White House Rose Garden. On North Korea, it seems that Moon still puts more weight more on talks and Trump more on sanctions. There were no concrete details announced on how the two allies will proceed to curb Pyongyang’s weapons programs. Trump said he would work with Moon on dealing with the North.

"Together we are facing the threat of the reckless and brutal regime in North Korea. The nuclear and ballistic missile programs of that regime require a determined response," Trump said.

“A determined response” should include a military option. Trump has said he has a very solid plan of all options open. A joint U.S. - Korea option will depend on the actions that the DPRK may take down the road. Trump also stresses that the U.S. goal is peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

Trump reiterated his calls for his regional partners to implement sanctions and to demand North Korea "choose a better path." On June 27, the U.S. treasury department announced new sanctions on Chinese banks to put more pressure on the North.

"We're working closely with South Korea and Japan, as well as our partners around the world, on a range of diplomatic, security and economic measures to protect our allies and our own citizens from this menace known as North Korea.”

In his turn, Moon said Trump and he “had placed top priority on the North Korean issue and urged Pyongyang to return to the talks.” He added they “agreed that only strong security can bring about genuine peace… the threat and provocation of the North will be met with a stern response."

While the THAAD issue was not even on the agenda for the summit talks, U.S. trade imbalance with South Korea was a big, serious topic. Trump said the United States was renegotiating a “rough trade deal with South Korea” that contributes to the U.S. trade deficits.

Under the KORUS FTA, the U.S. deficits have increased by $18 billion, and Trump believes, as he did during his campaign, trade with South Korea puts American workers out of work. He seeks a fair deal that will stop steel dumping in the U.S. and that will enable the U.S. to sell more American automobiles to South Korea.

The Trump administration also wants Seoul to shoulder an equitable burden for keeping the U.S. troops in Korea. This issue too comes from Trump’s campaign complaint that South Korea and other U.S. allies were not paying enough for their defense.

On the balance sheet, President Moon has secured President Trump’s commitments to a strong alliance and cooperation on North Korea, while facing the challenge of renegotiating the issues of trade and defense burden sharing.

Moon and Trump will meet again in a trilateral meeting to be joined by Japanese Prime Minister Abe in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7, on the sidelines of the annual G-20 meeting. The three leaders are expected to discuss North Korea, and things will evolve. What’s your take?

Tong Kim is a Washington correspondent and columnist for The Korea Times. He is also a fellow at the Institute of Korean-American Studies. He can be contacted at tong.kim8@yahoo.com.