Tariff and ROK-US Exercise Uncertainty Under Trump... Opposition Says "Korea Passing Has Begun"

[Financial News] The Trump administration has pressed South Korea to increase investment in the United States and raised tariff pressure, while also ordering a reduction in the ROK-US Combined Military Exercise under the pretext of dialogue with North Korea. The main opposition People Power Party said this echoed the criticism of "Korea passing" that surfaced during the Moon Jae-in administration under the Democratic Party of Korea.
According to political circles on the 17th, the Lee Jae Myung administration and the Democratic Party of Korea are struggling to respond to the Trump administration's sudden pressure campaign. The White House has pushed for higher tariffs, citing the deadlock in investment talks with the United States, and President Lee dismissed Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo. It has also moved to scale back the ROK-US exercise, saying it wants to maintain friendly ties with Kim Jong Un, the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea.
Choi Eun-seok, the People Power Party's floor spokesperson, issued a commentary that day and said, "President Trump has ordered a major reduction in the scale of the ROK-US exercise ahead of the drill starting today. It is not unrelated to the tariff negotiations that have recently stalled." He added, "People are even worried that Korea passing, which was raised during the Moon Jae-in administration, could become a reality again."
Choi said, "Just a few days ago, the U.S. side voiced blunt complaints about why investment in the United States was not moving forward properly, and in the midst of that, Minister Yeo, who was in charge of the working-level negotiations, was abruptly dismissed." He added, "Whether the dismissal was due to responsibility for the stalled talks or disciplinary action for personal misconduct, it clearly deepens public anxiety and distrust over ROK-US relations."
Park Sung-hoon, the chief spokesperson, said, "A leadership vacuum in trade without any clear justification is not only weakening our negotiating power with the United States, but also dangerously signaling to our ally that there may be a problem with the South Korean government's willingness and consistency in negotiations." He asked, "How can principled policy and responsible trade negotiations be possible in a public sector where people are constantly worried about when they might be fired?"
Ahn Cheol-soo also weighed in, saying, "We are discussing a $350 billion investment in the United States and are awaiting the release of the results of the overproduction investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974." He added, "But if the negotiation counterpart suddenly disappears and even the reason is unclear, the U.S. side will also question the stability and continuity of our negotiation line."
Amid the uncertainty surrounding the Trump administration, the Democratic Party of Korea plans to visit the United States later this year and support the government through parliamentary diplomacy. Kim Min-seok, a leading contender to become the party's next leader, said, "I will push ahead with visits to the United States, China and Japan within this year and pursue bipartisan party diplomacy."

[email protected] Kim Yun-ho Reporter