Pulling Abe on Trump
President Moon Jae-in has already gone some way to reduce distrust in the U.S. about his policies, particularly his conciliatory approach toward North Korea, by announcing in his inauguration speech that he is willing to go to Washington soon to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.
The first meeting between Moon and Trump will be a critical event in terms of establishing a personal chemistry between the two leaders. Trump trusts those with whom he has some type of personal bond. One way to win Trump’s heart is by playing golf as shown by his rapid friendship with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who played three rounds of golf with Trump when he visited the president’s Mar-a-Lago estate in February.
Moon could appeal to Trump’s business instincts, for example, by promising that Korean companies will invest more in the U.S. as long as the Trump administration doesn’t change the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) too much. That offer may not play well with Moon’s supporters at home since it implies jobs going offshore when youth unemployment is high. But Moon could counter such criticisms by spending more to create public sector jobs and infrastructure projects. Moon might also agree to spend more on defense as demanded by Trump since this move could actually be sold to the Korean public as being aligned with his calls for Seoul to pursue independent defense capability.
Another common goal Moon and Trump share is that they agree the best solution to the North Korea nuclear issue is bringing back Pyongyang to the negotiating table as reflected in the Trump administration’s current policy of “maximum pressure and engagement.” Their tactical differences on this approach, with Moon favoring more carrots and Trump more sticks, could result in a “good cop, bad cop” strategy that could prove effective.
Much of the distrust in the U.S. toward Moon stems from the fact he once served as chief of staff to President Roh Moo-hyun, who is seen in Washington as a leftist ideologue who often clashed with George W. Bush. But it is largely forgotten that Roh also proved accommodating to some U.S. requests such as sending Korean troops to Iraq and concluding KORUS in spite of domestic labor union opposition. It is likely that Moon has taken on these lessons in dealing with the U.S.
As for the American public, Moon can win their hearts and minds during his visit and show his gratitude for U.S. intervention in the Korean War by recounting the story of how his parents were able to flee North Korea in late 1950 by being evacuated on a U.S. warship at the port of Hamhung. That enabled his mother to give birth to Moon in a refugee camp on Geoje Island in January 1953, marking the start of a journey toward becoming the president of a democratic Korea.