Newly reelected U.S. President Donald Trump conducted a phone call with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol today to discuss the presence of North Korean troops in Russia.
The president-elect and the South Korean leader reportedly spoke on the phone about South Korean issues with North Korea and scheduling a meeting for a future date. Discussing the phone call in a press briefing, Yoon said, according to France-24: “We agreed to meet in the near future … I believe there will be an opportunity to meet within this year.”
The South Korean president also discussed changing the country’s previous policy of not supplying weapons to countries in conflict, as they consider sending weapons to Ukraine following the deployment of North Korean troops.
Newsweek reached out to the Trump campaign and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea [ROK], for comment via email outside of business hours. Newsweek also emailed the North Korean embassy in the U.K. for comment.
Yoon said: “Now, depending on the level of North Korean involvement, we will gradually adjust our support strategy in phases.”
He added: “Regarding North Korea, we addressed issues such as the launching of over 7,000 trash balloons, GPS jamming, and their indiscriminate firing of ICBMs, IRBMs, and SRBMs [missiles].”
Alex Brandon/Associated Press
In describing the trash balloons, Yoon was referring to the balloons filled with garbage sent from North Korea to South Korea, some of which were found to contain parasites, and others with gunpowder detonators attached to them.
At the end of October, a North Korean trash balloon landed on South Korea’s presidential compound for the second time, sparking concern regarding security.
When Yoon mentioned the “indiscriminate firing of ICBMs, IRBMs and SRBMs,” he was also referring to North Korea’s recent testing of missiles prior to the U.S. election.
On Monday night, North Korea launched at least seven short-range ballistic missiles into the sea east of the Korean Peninsula, which Yoon said was an attempt to gain the attention of the U.S. and the international community prior to the election.
Before this, on October 31, North Korea also launched an intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-19, for the first time in a year, which could theoretically hit anywhere in the U.S.
What Trump will do regarding the deployment of approximately 8,000 to 12,000 North Korean troops on the Russian front lines is unknown, and many wonder how he will navigate relationships with both North Korea and South Korea.
Trump has previously said he would end the war in Ukraine “within 24 hours” and has boasted about his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The president-elect has previously said that he “largely solved” the tension between the U.S. and North Korea, and that he “happen[s] to get along with Kim Jong Un very well.”
Despite Trump saying that he believes Kim misses him, North Korea said before the election that it “does not care” about it.
Trump’s relationship with South Korea during his first presidency differed. Although the U.S.-South Korea alliance was maintained, he said that they “protect themselves by developing their own nuclear weapons.” Trump added that he would withdraw U.S. troops if they did not “pay more” for this defense, according to the Center for American Progress.
Following Trump’s reelection, Yoon took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to congratulate him and wrote, “Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump! Under your strong leadership, the future of the ROK-U. S. alliance and America will shine brighter. Look forward to working closely with you.”
The South Korean government also said that it wants to maintain good relations with the U.S. under the new administration. Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo said it would work to establish “a perfect South Korea-U. S. security posture.”
