On August 7, according to a report by the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, it learned from sources that at the end of last month, just before the South Korea-US tariff agreement was reached, when President Trump met with South Korean negotiators, the US president started with a question: How is North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un doing recently?

Trump meeting with South Korean representatives

This question caught the South Korean representatives off guard. According to the source, the South Koreans were "taken aback," and originally they were highly tense, thinking that Trump would bring up some tough issues about tariffs and trade. Who could have expected such an "unexpected question"?

However, this matter seems like a simple greeting, but there are hidden implications behind it.

Firstly, Trump's greeting was clearly a psychological tactic to pressure South Korea, warning the South that the US has more initiative in the peninsula affairs, thus forcing the South to make concessions on core issues such as tariffs and investments.

After all, South Korea is highly dependent on the US for security, and the direction of US policy toward North Korea affects South Korea's strategic security to some extent. Trump's move may be intended to reinforce South Korea's sense of passivity.

Secondly, it might also be a warning to South Korea for not being cooperative enough in defense spending.

When Trump mentioned Kim Jong-un, he might be reminding South Korea: The US has "dominance" over the security of the peninsula, and if South Korea wants to obtain security guarantees, it must be "more understanding" in defense spending; otherwise, it may face a loosening of US security commitments.

Kim Jong-un and Trump

Reuters reported that Trump may try to use the upcoming South Korea-US summit to further pressure South Korea on defense spending and corporate investment. South Korea expressed "difficulty in understanding" the US desire to take most of the investment profits.

It is worth mentioning that a South Korean government source said this might indicate that Trump still has a high interest in Kim Jong-un. Looking back, Trump has indeed often expressed "special attention" to Kim Jong-un in public.

In 2018, Trump had the first-ever meeting between leaders of the two countries in Singapore, opening a new chapter in US-DPRK relations;

In 2019, the two sides met again in Hanoi, Vietnam, and Panmunjom. Trump even crossed the military demarcation line, becoming the first sitting US president to set foot on North Korean soil since the signing of the Armistice Agreement.

Trump has repeatedly praised Kim Jong-un as a "smart person." Even after media reports in mid-June that he had sent a letter to Kim Jong-un which was rejected, he still insisted that he maintains a good relationship with Kim Jong-un.

However, shortly before Trump asked this question, Kim Yo-jong, vice chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee, made a statement emphasizing that the US government's expression of willingness to dialogue with Kim Jong-un for the complete denuclearization of North Korea means nothing to the DPRK.

Kim Yo-jong is no ordinary person. As Kim Jong-un's sister, she holds significant weight in the North Korean political arena and is seen as the second most powerful figure in North Korea. Her statement largely represents the official position of North Korea.

Meanwhile, the recently concluded tariff agreement between the US and South Korea was not smooth sailing. According to the agreement, South Korea will need to pay a 15% tariff on exports to the US and provide $350 billion to support investment projects controlled by the US, while the US will not be subject to tariffs.

South Korean media have spoken out, stating that the era of free trade for the South Korean economy has come to an end, and enterprises that rely on exports face great challenges, with domestic jobs also being in jeopardy.

In short, the US has its own "hidden agenda" in its policies towards North Korea and South Korea. When Trump mentioned Kim Jong-un, it is hard to say there is no intention to pressure South Korea or to lay the groundwork for future contact with North Korea.

South Korea is caught in the middle, struggling between dealing with the US's trade "stick" and managing the delicate relationship with North Korea.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7536046133693399571/

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