Former White House chief of staff John Kelly revealed that former U.S. President Donald Trump expressed opposition to the stationing of U.S. troops in Korea when he was in office. Former President Trump’s attitude of belittling America’s security promises to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, saying, “We will not protect them unless they pay more for defense,” is also said to be the same for South Korea and Japan, so significant fallout is expected.
According to CNN on the 12th (local time), former Director Kelly said in an interview in CNN security reporter Jim Shuto’s book scheduled to be published on the 12th of next month, “Former President Trump is ‘dead set’ on the stationing of U.S. troops in Korea for deterrence purposes. )’ was opposed. He said the same thing about Japan.”
Former Chief of Staff Kelly revealed that former President Trump considered North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin to be ‘okay guys.’ “It seemed to him that the United States had cornered North Korea and was tough on them (Chairman Kim and President Putin),” she continued. This means that it was judged that the presence of US troops in Korea and joint ROK-US exercises stimulated North Korea. In fact, former President Trump told Chairman Kim at the first North Korea-US summit held in Singapore in June 2018 that he would suspend joint ROK-US training.
Former Chief of Staff Kelly, along with former Secretary of Defense James Mattis, were called part of the so-called ‘Axis of adults’ that controlled former President Trump, who was famous for his outspoken remarks and decision-making, but they were all kicked out. After leaving the White House, he took the lead in criticizing former President Trump and is considered a target of retaliation when he returns to power.
However, former State Department Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) forum on the same day, “South Korea and Japan will play a more active role on the world stage no matter what happens in the US presidential election in November.” “It is natural to share more costs and respond to more challenges together,” he said. Former National Security Office Director Kim Seong-han also diagnosed the reason for North Korea’s recent series of provocations as “an intention to spread the perception that the Joe Biden administration’s policy toward North Korea has failed so that their preferred candidate will be elected in the U.S. presidential election.”
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.