Trump to stress international cooperation to maximize pressure on North Korea

Posted on : 2017-11-02 17:29 KST Modified on : 2017-11-02 17:29 KST
The US president will also discuss trade issues during his visit to South Korea
President Trump discusses his tax cut plan with business leaders at the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Oct. 31. (EPA/Yonhap News)
President Trump discusses his tax cut plan with business leaders at the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Oct. 31. (EPA/Yonhap News)

The White House announced that US President Donald Trump would emphasize cooperation with the international community to put pressure on North Korea during his visit to South Korea on Nov. 7 and 8 and that the issue of trade would also be on the agenda for his summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

“During his address to South Korea’s National Assembly on Nov. 8, President Trump will commemorate the continuing alliance and friendship between South Korea and the US and will call on the international community to participate in maximizing pressure on North Korea,” a senior US government official said on Oct. 31 during a preliminary briefing about Trump’s trip to Asia.

“In this situation there have been no changes in North Korea’s grave behavior. It is clearly the view of the US government and President Trump that, at this moment, and in the near future, it would not be wise to engage in direct dialogue with the North,” the official said. “We continue to pursue diplomacy by persuading other countries to downgrade their relations with North Korea, to repatriate [North Korean] migrant workers and to refuse the North Korean regime’s [natural] resources. Our diplomatic offensive [against North Korea] is continuing.”

“The economy is a key area of discussion in South Korea. President Trump and President Moon have already promised to develop expanded and balanced trade that will create fair treatment and promote the mutual interests of our two countries,” the official also said.

“On this point, our two countries are sincerely focused on building a ‘fair and level playing field,’ which includes resolving concerns about our bilateral trade agreement,” the official added.

In regard to the controversy over whether or not Trump will be visiting the demilitarized zone (DMZ), this official said that Trump “will not be visiting the DMZ because of inadequate time in his schedule.”

“Accepting President Moon’s invitation to visit Camp Humphreys would be more meaningful in terms of sending a message. Camp Humphreys is a fine example of the South Korean government sharing the defense burden,” the official said, adding that “In all honesty, DMZ visits are becoming something of a cliché.”

When asked during the regular press briefing on Oct. 31 about the results of deliberations aimed at improving relations between South Korea and China, US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said, “We certainly welcome that China and the Republic of Korea would have a closer relationship. We tend to think that that is a good thing for the region and especially the regional instability and the worldwide instability that the DPRK poses.”

“In terms of THAAD, nothing has changed from our position on that. It…was an alliance decision on the part of the US and the Republic of Korea,” she said. These remarks suggest that the US’s position is that improved relations between South Korea and China are helpful for resolving the North Korean nuclear issue and that China has basically reconciled itself to the THAAD deployment.

By Yi Yong-in, Washington correspondent

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