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Tong Kim

Tong Kim is a Washington correspondent and columnist for The Korea Times.

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Tong Kim

What Trump can do for Korea

By Tong Kim Three weeks into Trump’s transition to power, nobody seems to have a clear idea of what the incoming American administration would do on the Korean Peninsula and regarding a menacing nuclear North Korea in particular. The President-elect has not clarified or reconciled conflicting comments that he made on the campaign trail. He is likely to present an overall foreign policy agenda or a Trump doctrineafter he takes office on Jan. 20.Since his election, he has had phone calls with a number of foreign leaders, including the South Korean president, and told them all what they wanted to hear. He also met the Japanese prime minister and said positive things, without specifying what he would want to do with Japan. There were some criticisms of the way Trump handled his calls with foreign heads of state without seeking the assistance of the state department. But, there is only one president at a time.For some time now, attention is focused on who will be heading national security posts. They may be an indication of how Trump will carry out his foreign policy. Trump is

Dec 4, 2016By Tong Kim
What Trump can do for Korea
Tong Kim

What Park can do

By Tong KimIt has been fascinating to watch how an unprecedented political drama is unfolding regarding the presidency of South Korea. It has breathtaking elements of suspension and surprise.What will happen to President Park, who defies angry public demands to relinquish her presidential authority? She evokes the constitutional ground which makes a president immune to criminal prosecution, except for charges of “insurrection and treason”.She is scheduled for an interview with prosecutors this week, according to her attorney.  Prosecutors are investigating her involvement in the criminal charges against her confidant Choi Soon-sil, who allegedly meddled in state affairs in an unofficial capacity and amassed wealth illegally. Choi is yet to be indicted at the time of writing, on the charges of “abuse of power and fraud”.Last week the National Assembly passed a legislation to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Choi Soon-sil case and all other suspects involved. The legislation requires the president to appoint a special prosecutor from two cand

Nov 20, 2016By Tong Kim
What Park can do
Tong Kim

Standstill on N. Korea policy

By Tong KimNobody has been talking about North Korea since the South became embroiled in a serious political crisis that is severely undermining the authority and competency of President Park Geun-hye.  This crisis was triggered by an influence-peddling scandal involving her longtime personal confidant, Choi Soon-sil, now in custody accused of “abuse of power and attempted fraud.”Choi’s alleged collaborator, Ahn Jong-beom, former senior presidential secretary for policy coordination, reportedly with the president’s instruction, helped collect over $70 million from business conglomerates to fund two cultural and sports foundations set up with Choi’s involvement. He is also being investigated by prosecutors.Choi is known to have revised or edited presidential speeches before delivery and had access to presidential talking points for Blue House staff meetings beforehand. Choi is also suspected of having influenced the appointment of cabinet ministers and President Park’s North Korea policy, including Park’s decision to close the Gaeseong In

Nov 6, 2016By Tong Kim
Standstill on N. Korea policy
Tong Kim

Importance of next Korean president

By Tong Kim As no major change on North Korean policy is likely during the remainder of the Park government or under a Hillary Clinton administration, it is critical for South Korea to elect the right person as next president in December 2017 to remove fear of war and enhance the wellbeing of people on both sides of the division.    The third and final American presidential debate ― delivering a vicious exchange of personal insults between the two major candidates ― ended in an international embarrassment, raising a question about the integrity of democratic transition of power, with Donald Trump saying he may not accept the results of the election, depending on how it turns out.   The debate was held after weeks of Trump falling behind Clinton in polls by a margin of seven to 11 points. The mainstream media again declared Clinton the winner of the debate. If you believe media reports, there is no way Trump can turn around his plight of doom. Most pundits predict the polls are likely to hold, or turn out even better, for Clinton in the remainder of the c

Oct 23, 2016By Tong Kim
Importance of next Korean president
Tong Kim

Recommendations on N. Korea

By Tong Kim It is an undisputed assessment that North Korea has an offensive capability to strike all parts of South Korea and Japan with short and midrange missiles. It keeps advancing its nuclear and missile technology faster than expected, posing a threat directly to the United States. What should be done about it?First, let’s not rely on the same strategy ― sanctions and deterrents ― that has not worked for the past decade. The theory behind this strategy was if pressed hard enough “to the pain in the heart of the North Korean leadership,” they would come to the table.The sanctions failed to bring the North to negotiations or to slow down its nuclear and missile programs. Yet, the sanctions have slowed down Pyongyang’s economic development. The sanctions are designed to block revenue from overseas and the import of dual use materials that could support the illegal weapons programs.The U.N. Security Council Resolution 2270 excludes trade from punishment if it is related to the livelihood of the North Korean people. China utilizes this clause fully to k

Oct 9, 2016By Tong Kim
Recommendations on N. Korea
Tong Kim

US needs to talk with N. Korea

By Tong KimWASHINGTON ― The United States should enter into direct talks with North Korea to negotiate a freeze of its nuclear and missile tests and a return of IAEA inspectors to achieve the eventual goal of denuclearization, according to experts.In an op-ed in The Washington, Sept. 30, Jane Harman, president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center of Scholars, and James Person, the center’s coordinator for Korean history and public policy, made these remarks.The authors believe such a nuclear freeze can only be achieved through direct U.S. talks with the North, not a return to the six-party process. The United States should show some flexibility and utilize “an underappreciated ace in its deck,” which is North Korea’s cognizance that “Only the United States ― the supposed existential threat that justifies its nuclear and ballistic missile programs ― can fully address Pyongyang’s security concerns.”Harmon and Person suggest that the U.S. acknowledge the North’s security concerns, even if it considers those concer

Oct 4, 2016By Tong Kim
Tong Kim

Next US president and N. Korea

By Tong Kim South Korea and the United States have failed miserably to stop North Korea from developing a nuclear weapon and the delivery system for it, particularly during the past seven years and eight months under the Barack Obama presidency and the two conservative South Korean presidents ― Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye.Seoul and Washington are trying to “enhance and expand U.N. sanctions” against the North in the wake of Pyongyang’s fifth nuclear test of Sept. 8, which was assessed to be the strongest so far.  Focusing on sanctions, it is highly unlikely that there would be any chance for dialogue with the North, either for containment or dismantlement of the North Korean nuclear arsenal during the remainder of Obama’s term in office.The Seoul government, since before the fifth nuclear test, has excluded the term dialogue in its vocabulary on North Korea, focusing on sanctions and retaliation against continuing provocations that would lead to “self-destruction.” Seoul’s prime minister told the National Assembly last week

Sep 25, 2016By Tong Kim
Next US president and N. Korea
Tong Kim

Obama's last trip to Asia

By Tong Kim Watching last week’s multiple summits between the heads of the United States, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia, taking place on the sidelines of the G20 conference in China and the ASEAN+3 and East Asia Summit gatherings in Laos, we can only conclude that no new effort was sought to alleviate the increasingly perilous situation on the Korean Peninsula. The Obama administration will turn over to the next president who will be elected in November a list of unfinished business, including denuclearization in Korea, disputes in the South China Sea, rebalancing to Asia, and strengthening the economic order through the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership).The objective of Obama’s last trip to Asia is said to set the tone for his successor to follow along the path of his pivot to Asia policy, which is strongly challenged by an assertive China that has started exercising its economic and strategic influence in the region. China believes the U.S. seeks to contain its rise in order to continue American dominance in Asia. Beijing has a good record of working

Sep 11, 2016By Tong Kim
Obama's last trip to Asia
Tong Kim

North pulls off new ball game

By Tong KimNorth Korea’s successful firing on Aug. 24 of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is emerging as a game-changer of security strategy in Korea. The North could build an operational SLBM capability within a few years to complete two facets of the “nuclear triad” for delivery of a nuclear arsenal from land and sea, except from the air, targeting as far as Japan, Guam and the U.S.  The North released a video of the launch being monitored by their leader, Kim Jong-un. He said on the spot: “I do not guess what ridiculous remarks the U.S. and its followers will make, but I can say their rash acts will only precipitate their self-destruction.” He warned the South and the U.S. “to refrain from hurting the dignity and security of the DPRK with prudence and self-control.”The launch came after a series of test failures and partial successes, all in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and in defiance of sanctions, demonstrating Pyongyang’s intransigent pursuit of its nuclear and missile program. The pace of

Aug 28, 2016By Tong Kim
North pulls off new ball game
Tong Kim

Trump presidency still possible

By Tong Kim If you look at recent polls or follow media reports, you may conclude that Hillary Clinton will be elected the next president of the United States. The Democratic nominee is eight to 10 points ahead of Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, who also trails in such critical swing states as Ohio and Pennsylvania, and is neck and neck in Florida.Every day, the mainstream media, except the conservative Fox News, capitalize on Trump’s self-inflicted trouble that rises from politically incorrect and gratuitously provocative statements, providing a basis for his critics to paint his temperament unfit to serve as the president and commander-in-chief. He is accused of being a racist, misogynist, demagogue, inciter of violence, ignorant of the Constitution, anti-Muslim, and disparager of a war hero and a Gold Star family.His comments against a federal judge of Mexican heritage and his description of illegal Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals also are costing him dearly, although most Hispanic voters had already rallied behind Clinton. His campaign pledge to build

Aug 14, 2016By Tong Kim
Trump presidency still possible
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