By Oh Young-jin
The U.S. Trump administration is in chaos. I am not talking about its internal power struggle but its North Korea policy. President Donald Trump has zigzagged, with his mantra being the end of strategic patience ― the idle-minded policy of his predecessor President Barack Obama.
This means that who the next U.S. ambassador to Seoul will be is ever more important. He or she should be communicative with Koreans and have Trump's trust ― giving a nudge when the president wobbles and making sure it gets noted. In that sense, Victor Cha, a former Bush operative and professor at Georgetown couldn't be a worse candidate, according to five people in the know.
Putting their suggestions together, the result is Cha, who would act as if he were Caesar the Conqueror, trying to get his way no matter what at the risk of a great deal of friction with the Moon Jae-in government. That would be possible and dangerous because he, if appointed, would exert influence at key junctures when his boss was distracted, and the North's asymmetric threat will peak. Some say that it is better now without a resident at Habib House in Seoul than Cha in it.
Cha appears to be the only who has made the short list.
A well-placed diplomatic source told The Korea Times that Cha, a Korean American professor, is the only name he has heard being floated around.
True, criticizing someone before being appointed for the job sounds absurd and maybe unfair. But it would be better than complaining after the appointment and damage is done. The five I interviewed were two scholars, two former senior national security-related officials and one recently retired general. Only one of them was positive about Cha.
Emanuel Yi Pastreich, a Korea expert and long-term resident in Korea, was the most vocal. He compared Cha with a political gun for hire.
"Cha has been promoting a North Korea threat that seems to be unrelated to reality that suggests he has stepped over the line from diplomacy to advocacy for a confrontation with North Korea, which every professional analyst thinks is a mistake and dangerous," he said.
"His book Impossible State does not belong in the non-fiction section at a book store," Pastreich told The Korea Times. "He advocates a choice that doesn't exist, when deep engagement is the only choice."
An acquaintance of Cha was not kind; either, but for a different reason.
The former bureaucrat who has known Cha for about 20 years said that it wouldn't necessarily be an appointment to welcome, if a Korean American was named as ambassador to Korea. "The basis by which one should be judged to be a good or bad ambassador for Korea is the level of access he has to a president or his key lieutenants in the decision-making process."
"If he can influence the process, it would likely be a good choice for Korea as well," he said, adding that Cha may not be the best candidate to fulfill that criterion.
His criticism reflects the recent lineage of lightweight U.S. ambassadors.
Mark Lippert endeared himself to Koreans for his engaging attitude, but was taken lightly for being the youngest to hold the job. His links with Barack Obama made up for it. Kathleen Stephens was also popular for her ability to speak Korean, but the former Peace Corps member failed to have notable achievements during her tour of duty. They and other recent ambassadors were seen as juniors in the age- and rank-conscious Korean society. Their heavyweight predecessors include Donald Gregg, Richard Walker and William Gleysteen.
The scholar who was educated in the U.S. was blunter about Cha, saying that he has built his reputation as a vendor of ideas to the media, but those ideas and analyses often proved poorly collaborated with facts. That past of Cha's was swept under the rug when he was chosen to work on Korea affairs in the George W. Bush White House.
"He only has maximum pressure but no engagement," he said, comparing Cha's unilateral tendency within the framework of Trump's not-so-well-defined North Korea policy.
"For a Korean American, the biggest strength lies in communicating with Koreans," he said. "Cha doesn't have it. Cha neither speaks Korean nor has an understanding about things Korean, he said. His inability to speak Korean was contradicted by the only person who was positive about Cha.
The former military officer in the pool remembered hearing from Koreans about their reluctance to have a Korean American ambassador. Korean American Sung Kim, now U.S. ambassador to the Philippines, had a tour of duty as the first Korean American ambassador to Seoul.
He speculated that Koreans feel Korean Americans are not connected to the core of power in the U.S. administration. Maybe, a former U.S. general, who served here, could be a better fit for the job, a la Trump's predilection for men in uniform or someone who has been in one.
Oh Young-jin is The Korea Times' chief editorial writer. Contact foolsdie5@ktimes.com and foolsdie@gmail.com.
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This means that who the next U.S. ambassador to Seoul will be is ever more important. He or she should be communicative with Koreans and have Trump's trust ― giving a nudge when the president wobbles and making sure it gets noted. In that sense, Victor Cha, a former Bush operative and professor at Georgetown couldn't be a worse candidate, according to five people in the know.
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| Victor Cha / Korea Times file |
Cha appears to be the only who has made the short list.
A well-placed diplomatic source told The Korea Times that Cha, a Korean American professor, is the only name he has heard being floated around.
True, criticizing someone before being appointed for the job sounds absurd and maybe unfair. But it would be better than complaining after the appointment and damage is done. The five I interviewed were two scholars, two former senior national security-related officials and one recently retired general. Only one of them was positive about Cha.
Emanuel Yi Pastreich, a Korea expert and long-term resident in Korea, was the most vocal. He compared Cha with a political gun for hire.
"Cha has been promoting a North Korea threat that seems to be unrelated to reality that suggests he has stepped over the line from diplomacy to advocacy for a confrontation with North Korea, which every professional analyst thinks is a mistake and dangerous," he said.
"His book Impossible State does not belong in the non-fiction section at a book store," Pastreich told The Korea Times. "He advocates a choice that doesn't exist, when deep engagement is the only choice."
An acquaintance of Cha was not kind; either, but for a different reason.
The former bureaucrat who has known Cha for about 20 years said that it wouldn't necessarily be an appointment to welcome, if a Korean American was named as ambassador to Korea. "The basis by which one should be judged to be a good or bad ambassador for Korea is the level of access he has to a president or his key lieutenants in the decision-making process."
"If he can influence the process, it would likely be a good choice for Korea as well," he said, adding that Cha may not be the best candidate to fulfill that criterion.
His criticism reflects the recent lineage of lightweight U.S. ambassadors.
Mark Lippert endeared himself to Koreans for his engaging attitude, but was taken lightly for being the youngest to hold the job. His links with Barack Obama made up for it. Kathleen Stephens was also popular for her ability to speak Korean, but the former Peace Corps member failed to have notable achievements during her tour of duty. They and other recent ambassadors were seen as juniors in the age- and rank-conscious Korean society. Their heavyweight predecessors include Donald Gregg, Richard Walker and William Gleysteen.
The scholar who was educated in the U.S. was blunter about Cha, saying that he has built his reputation as a vendor of ideas to the media, but those ideas and analyses often proved poorly collaborated with facts. That past of Cha's was swept under the rug when he was chosen to work on Korea affairs in the George W. Bush White House.
"He only has maximum pressure but no engagement," he said, comparing Cha's unilateral tendency within the framework of Trump's not-so-well-defined North Korea policy.
"For a Korean American, the biggest strength lies in communicating with Koreans," he said. "Cha doesn't have it. Cha neither speaks Korean nor has an understanding about things Korean, he said. His inability to speak Korean was contradicted by the only person who was positive about Cha.
The former military officer in the pool remembered hearing from Koreans about their reluctance to have a Korean American ambassador. Korean American Sung Kim, now U.S. ambassador to the Philippines, had a tour of duty as the first Korean American ambassador to Seoul.
He speculated that Koreans feel Korean Americans are not connected to the core of power in the U.S. administration. Maybe, a former U.S. general, who served here, could be a better fit for the job, a la Trump's predilection for men in uniform or someone who has been in one.
Oh Young-jin is The Korea Times' chief editorial writer. Contact foolsdie5@ktimes.com and foolsdie@gmail.com.
