OPINION:
There is widespread support among government officials in South Korea for President Trump’s goals and objectives, including proposed talks with North Korea.
During a recent foreign policy trip to Korea, sponsored by The Washington Times Foundation, a small group of foreign policy experts engaged South Korean government officials in talks regarding the major issues facing the Peninsula, including denuclearization.
The attitude among the government officials with whom we met was not only supportive, but in some cases, effusive in their praise of Mr. Trump. We met with leaders of every level of the executive and legislative branches of the Korean government, including the administration, National Assembly and intelligence.We hope the information we gathered, and will discuss at a bipartisan forum on Capitol Hill on April 11, will be beneficial to members of Congress and their staffs.
This is a perilous time in history for a number of reasons.The development of nuclear weapons in Iran and North Korea, and other foreign policy issues involving China, Russia, Japan and Western Europe are the reasons why we are fortunate to have a no-nonsense president like Mr. Trump in the White House.
There were concerns discussed about the U.S. military continuing to be stationed in South Korea. I believe there is little doubt that Mr. Trump not only supports South Korea, but also will not shy away from our agreement to defend that country should they be attacked.
The South Korean people are largely supportive of Mr. Trump since his visit there last year. There was near universal approval of the measured tone he took when he addressed the Korean National Assembly last November.
Mr. Trump and North Korean President Kim Jong-un, if they meet, will no doubt discuss not only the apparent issues but also ways to solve problems. I do not believe that in any way, the security of South Korea will be jeopardized by the talks between Presidents Trump and Kim.
It is absolutely essential that the topic of the denuclearization of North Korea be the cornerstone of the discussions. There can be additional ancillary issues raised which might address the current impasse, but the central issue is denuclearization and it is of paramount importance.
However, one of the things we learned from President Ronald Reagan was that, in negotiations, if your opponent tries to pull a fast one, you get up and you walk out. President Reagan was roundly criticized because he walked out on Premier Gorbachev at their 1986 Reykjavik Summit. But as in most cases, Mr. Gorbachev acceded to Mr. Reagan’s positions.
My personal advice to Mr. Trump is that, if Mr. Kim tries to use the meeting as a political statement, and is not serious about stopping his nuclear program, then Mr. Trump, like Mr. Reagan, should be very cordial. But he should get up and walk out. At that point, Mr. Trump can clearly make the case that North Korea has no intention of denuclearization, and that further discussion is pointless.
In addition, hopefully the recent meeting that took place between President Xi Jinping of China and Kim Jong-un will make Mr. Kim more receptive when he meets with Mr. Trump. Mr. Xi has let it be known through sanctions and body language that China is not amused by the nuclear and missile tests of North Korea.
The meetings between Presidents Trump and Xi have evidently been productive because things appear to be heading in the right direction regarding the Korean Peninsula.
There is absolutely no situation that could have occurred to bring Kim Jong-un to the negotiating table, except for the strength and vigilance of President Trump.
• Dan Burton is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
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