South Korea faces new administration in Trump era: new framework for ”pragmatic diplomacy” needed

The new administration that will be inaugurated in South Korea with the presidential election on June 3 will face the typhoon of a "second term for Trump" and the major challenge of having to restore relations with the United States and Russia.
Foreign affairs experts agree that, unlike the previous administration, which emphasized “value diplomacy,” the new administration must respond to the enormous volatility of President Trump and reap practical benefits.
During the presidential election, President Trump called South Korea a "money machine."
He likened it to a "military machine" and proposed reducing South Korea's defense contribution to 100 billion yen, nine times the current amount.
He also raised the defense cost-sharing issue in a phone call with Prime Minister Han Deok-soo this month, calling for a "one-stop shopping" style of negotiation.
The defense budget issue is not simply a case of pressuring South Korea to pay more than it does now, but a new strategic shift by the United States that seeks to change the very nature of the US military presence in South Korea and the US-South Korea alliance.
This is also the biggest challenge facing the administration. Currently, the United States is not using its troops in Korea as a means of defense for South Korea to respond to provocations from North Korea, but as a "strategic force" capable of moving to China in the event of an issue such as Taiwan.
From the U.S. perspective, we are now in an era where our own interests and the need to check China are more important than the value of existing alliances.
If South Korea does not make concrete efforts to “strengthen itself,” it will have no choice but to hand over the initiative to the United States and pay huge defense costs.
The focus of foreign policy has changed from 'protecting the free world and democracy' to 'putting the national interests of the United States first,' and all foreign relations, including alliances, must be conducted in a transactional manner," he said.
"We must continue to make efforts to maintain and strengthen our mutual ties and maintain our independent defense," he said. The North Korea issue is also a task that the new administration must resolve. President Trump has already
In the past, he spoke positively about the possibility of a US-North Korea dialogue. It is widely expected that a US-North Korea summit will be held around 2026-2027.
Therefore, we must strengthen our relations with the United States as well as other neighboring countries. Currently, the Kim Jung Eun administration is trying to distance itself from South Korea under the pretext of the two nations being hostile to each other.
By joining hands with Russia, they are rapidly building a "North-China-Russia" alliance. There are voices saying that South Korea too should quickly strengthen its ties with China and Russia.
In particular, normalizing relations with China is an urgent task. Relations with China became estranged under the Yoon Seok-youl administration, followed by the emergency law and impeachment policy.
The bureau also reports that anti-China sentiment has grown. Resolving this emotional gap will be one of the tasks for the next administration. This year is also an important one, with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit being held in South Korea.
While preparations are being made to ensure smooth visits by major world leaders such as President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the leaders themselves must also demonstrate leadership on the multilateral stage.