March 13, 2025
Seoul – Today, the world is concerned about the suspicious future of South Korea. Since President Yoon Suk Yeol impeached each, people have watched anxiously at unprecedented socio-political unrest.
Yoon can return to the office or disappear according to a Constitutional Court ruling. Either way, conflict seems inevitable in South Korea, as the country is severely divided by two interactive groups that support or condemn the meta, or favor right-wing doctrine or left-wing ideology.
South Korea also faces a tsunami of serious tariff policies from the upcoming Donald Trump administration, which will deal a serious blow to the South Korean economy, largely dependent on international trade. In addition, the current U.S. government may also require South Korea to bear more costs of stationing U.S. troops in the country.
In a recent speech, U.S. President Trump said other countries charge much higher tariffs to the United States than the United States will charge. He gave an example: “The average tariff in South Korea is more than four times… We have given them too much military support and other aid.” Judging from Trump's speech, we can expect an unparalleled crisis in our economy so far.
Instead of preparing for the perfect storm to come, our sailors on South Korea are addicted to the struggle for domestic power after locking in the captain’s impeachment each. Naturally, experts wonder if South Korea can handle the upcoming strong winds and waves, not to mention the many hidden reefs.
Today, people say that the United States we once knew no longer exists, so we have to deal with a whole new one. We should also know that in a sense, we have paid the price for the wrongdoing in the United States, such as based on false assumptions or political calculations, hiding anti-American sentiment.
For example, some radical activists chanted anti-US slogans, accusing the United States of betraying the South Korean people by supporting two North Korean military coups. But this is not true. As for General Parker Zhong’s military coup, the US government neither accepted nor approved it. Instead, it cut off financial aid to express dissatisfaction and protests to South Korea.
This is a heavy blow to the South Korean military regime. Perhaps this is one of the reasons Park is so eager and active in pursuing economic development plans: South Korea must be financially independent and survive without foreign aid.
The U.S. government also does not support or recognize General Chun Doo-Hwan's military coup. Between 1978 and 1981, the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, William H., however, was that all of them opposed his claim, saying, “We cannot fight our own soldiers.” If so, it was our general, not the United States betrayed us.
More recently, left-wing activists have also inspired the political interests of anti-American sentiment by maliciously summoning fake news and conspiracy theories. For example, they mistakenly claimed in 2008 that imported American beef spreading mad cow disease to South Korea is far from true. At the time, some Koreans believed in deceptive propaganda and joined the huge anti-American rally.
They also deceived people by mistakenly asserting that THAAD rebound batteries from the US operating in South Korea in 2017 will emit electromagnetic waves, which could damage our agricultural products and even threaten our lives. While some agitators are responsible for such an unfavorable anti-American movement, the entire country must now pay the price for it. At the same time, we can hardly expect any favors from the United States because we lose the crucial trust among our allies.
At present, South Korea is facing domestic and international crises, including political riots, economic issues, and even national security crises.
The worst case scenario is that Trump reached a direct deal with North Korea. What if North Korea agrees to the nuclear freeze under the conditions of the US government pulling US troops out of South Korea? Trump can accept it, viewing it as a major achievement of his legacy. However, without the U.S. military on its territory, South Korea's national security will be on the brink. Some experts believe that if the U.S. military leaves, the situation in South Korea will be similar to that in Ukraine.
Of course, we can benefit from the Trump administration's percussion policy against authoritarian socialist countries in Asia. Although these policies are primarily for the interests of the United States, they will protect the national security of South Korea, which is threatened by a socialist state.
If our politicians keep ignoring the serious situation we face and continue to cause political conflict, our future will be grim. We should remember that in the late 19th century we lost our grasp of sovereignty under similar circumstances.
It’s time to end the political conflict and prepare for the worst.
Kim Seong-Kon is an honorary professor of English at Seoul National University and a visiting scholar at Dartmouth College. The views expressed here are the author's own views. – ed.
