Latest news with #pro-U.S.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The first task facing South Korea's next leader: Handling Trump
When South Koreans elect a new president Tuesday, it will end months of domestic political turmoil — but their choice could bring big changes to the country's relationship with the United States. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, had a clear lead in polls going into the election, which is being held six months to the day after then-President Yoon Suk Yeol plunged the East Asian democracy of more than 50 million people into turmoil by abruptly declaring martial law. Since lawmakers impeached Yoon in December over the short-lived martial law order, South Korea has been stuck in a leadership vacuum, churning through a series of acting presidents. The uncertainty has also constrained the U.S. ally in Washington even as President Donald Trump slapped it with a 25% 'reciprocal' tariff, among other levies. The presidential by-election, which was triggered in April when South Korea's Constitutional Court upheld Yoon's impeachment, promises a return to stability, and South Koreans have turned out in record numbers for early voting. 'A lot of people just want to move on, because it's been a long six months,' said Jennifer Lee, a principal at the Asia Group corporate consultancy in Washington, who recently returned from a trip to South Korea. Lee Jae-myung, 61, who narrowly lost to Yoon in 2022, has been seen as the most likely next president since Yoon was impeached. But public support for Lee has been driven more by anger at Yoon's conservative People Power Party, which has declined to condemn his actions, than by agreement with Lee's policy positions, said Rob York, director for regional affairs at Pacific Forum, a foreign policy research institute in Honolulu. 'I don't think enthusiasm for him is especially strong,' York said. 'He's not an especially inspiring figure for a number of reasons, but the conservative party is simply so tainted right now.' Further boosting Lee's chances is the fact that conservative votes are being split between Kim Moon Soo, the People Power Party candidate, and Lee Jun-seok, a young lawmaker from the upstart Reform Party who has been generating controversy with his antifeminist remarks. Though Lee has moved toward the center during the campaign, he is generally seen as more open to China and North Korea than his predecessor and less friendly toward Japan, which is part of a trilateral security partnership with the United States and South Korea. Because Yoon was 'so pro-U.S. and hardcore U.S.,' it seems unlikely that the U.S.-South Korea relationship will remain as strong, the Asia Group's Jennifer Lee said. 'I think that there will be some more balancing act between the United States and China,' she said, and if the Trump administration 'comes out hard' on issues such as tariffs or cost-sharing for the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, 'I think there may be a lot more frictions ahead.' Still, Lee the candidate has expressed support for the U.S.-South Korea alliance and already begun reaching out to the Trump administration. In an interview last week with Time magazine, Lee said Trump 'has outstanding skills in terms of negotiation' and that both he and Trump are simply looking out for the interests of their people. Though he doesn't align with Trump's conservative views, Lee has in the past been nicknamed 'Korea's Trump' by supporters enamored with his populist, outspoken style. Like Trump, Lee also survived an attempt on his life last year, having been stabbed in the neck during a visit to the city of Busan. 'Personality-wise I think the two of them, if they're in a room together, would probably get along,' York said. 'Both of them are people who view themselves as dealmakers, and I think they're more concerned with crafting a deal that makes both of them look good.' One of Lee's top priorities will be reaching a deal on tariffs, which have hit South Korea hard. In addition to the 25% tariff, South Korea — the world's 10th-largest economy — is vulnerable to steep duties on some of its biggest exports, such as steel and automobiles. Lee is also facing a more assertive North Korea, whose leader, Kim Jong Un, has been advancing his ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs. Like Trump, Lee favors greater engagement with the North, pledging last week to restore a military hotline between the two rivals, who technically remain at war. Though Trump has said he'd like to revive his in-person diplomacy with Kim, North Korea appears far less interested in negotiating than it was when the two leaders met in 2018 and 2019. Kim is now receiving crucial economic and military support through a security partnership with Russia, and he said last year that North Korea is no longer pursuing reconciliation with the South. The heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula come amid reports that Trump is considering withdrawing thousands of U.S. troops from the South, an idea he also floated during his first term. Though Seoul says there have been no such discussions, Pentagon officials say a troop reduction has not been ruled out. Neither South Korea nor U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) were barely mentioned in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's speech in Singapore last weekend laying out the U.S. approach to the Indo-Pacific, adding to concerns about where the country stands with Washington. 'The U.S. can unilaterally decide and act on reducing USFK troops. It's their military, after all,' said Bong Young Sik, a North Korea specialist at the Yonsei Institute for North Korean Studies at Yonsei University in Seoul, referring to U.S. Forces Korea. But 'they need to consider and accommodate the situations their security partners are under and facing,' he said. 'If they go with 'What is good for the U.S. is good for the world,' I am not sure how long that approach could work,' Bong said. Jennifer Jett reported from Hong Kong and Stella Kim from Los Angeles. This article was originally published on
NBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- NBC News
The first task facing South Korea's next leader: Handling Trump
When South Koreans elect a new president Tuesday, it will end months of domestic political turmoil — but their choice could bring big changes to the country's relationship with the United States. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, had a clear lead in polls going into the election, which is being held six months to the day after then-President Yoon Suk Yeol plunged the East Asian democracy of more than 50 million people into turmoil by abruptly declaring martial law. Since lawmakers impeached Yoon in December over the short-lived martial law order, South Korea has been stuck in a leadership vacuum, churning through a series of acting presidents. The uncertainty has also constrained the U.S. ally in Washington even as President Donald Trump slapped it with a 25% 'reciprocal' tariff, among other levies. The presidential by-election, which was triggered in April when Yoon's impeachment was upheld by South Korea's Constitutional Court, promises a return to stability, and South Koreans have turned out in record numbers for early voting. 'A lot of people just want to move on, because it's been a long six months,' said Jennifer Lee, a principal at the Asia Group corporate consultancy in Washington, who recently returned from a trip to South Korea. Lee Jae-myung, 61, who narrowly lost to Yoon in 2022, has been seen as the most likely next president since Yoon was impeached. But public support for Lee has been driven more by anger at Yoon's conservative People Power Party, which has declined to condemn his actions, than by agreement with Lee's policy positions, said Rob York, director for regional affairs at Pacific Forum, a foreign policy research institute in Honolulu. 'I don't think enthusiasm for him is especially strong,' York said. 'He's not an especially inspiring figure for a number of reasons, but the conservative party is simply so tainted right now.' Further boosting Lee's chances is the fact that conservative votes are being split between Kim Moon Soo, the People Power Party candidate, and Lee Jun-seok, a young lawmaker from the upstart Reform Party who has been generating controversy with his antifeminist remarks. Though Lee has moved toward the center during the campaign, he is generally seen as more open to China and North Korea than his predecessor and less friendly toward Japan, which is part of a trilateral security partnership with the U.S. and South Korea. Because Yoon was 'so pro-U.S. and hardcore U.S.,' it seems unlikely that the U.S.-South Korea relationship will remain as strong, the Asia Group's Jennifer Lee said. 'I think that there will be some more balancing act between the United States and China,' she said, and if the Trump administration 'comes out hard' on issues such as tariffs or cost-sharing for the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, 'I think there may be a lot more frictions ahead.' Still, Lee the candidate has expressed support for the U.S.-South Korea alliance and already begun reaching out to the Trump administration. In an interview last week with Time magazine, Lee said Trump 'has outstanding skills in terms of negotiation' and that both he and Trump are simply looking out for the interests of their people. Though he doesn't align with Trump's conservative views, Lee has in the past been nicknamed 'Korea's Trump' by supporters enamored with his populist, outspoken style. Like Trump, Lee also survived an attempt on his life last year, having been stabbed in the neck during a visit to the city of Busan. 'Personality-wise I think the two of them, if they're in a room together, would probably get along,' York said. 'Both of them are people who view themselves as dealmakers, and I think they're more concerned with crafting a deal that makes both of them look good.' One of Lee's top priorities will be reaching a deal on tariffs, which have hit South Korea hard. In addition to the 25% tariff, South Korea — the world's 10th-largest economy — is vulnerable to steep duties on some of its biggest exports, such as steel and automobiles. Lee is also facing a more assertive North Korea, whose leader, Kim Jong Un, has been advancing his ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs. Like Trump, Lee favors greater engagement with the North, pledging last week to restore a military hotline between the two rivals, who technically remain at war. Though Trump has said he'd like to revive his in-person diplomacy with Kim, North Korea appears far less interested in negotiating than it was when the two leaders met in 2018 and 2019. Kim is now receiving crucial economic and military support through a security partnership with Russia, and he said last year that North Korea is no longer pursuing reconciliation with the South. The heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula come amid reports that Trump is considering withdrawing thousands of U.S. troops from the South, an idea he also floated during his first term. Though Seoul says there have been no such discussions, Pentagon officials say a troop reduction has not been ruled out. Neither South Korea nor U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) were barely mentioned in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth 's speech in Singapore last weekend laying out the U.S. approach to the Indo-Pacific, adding to concerns about where the country stands with Washington. 'The U.S. can unilaterally decide and act on reducing USFK troops. It's their military, after all,' said Bong Young Sik, a North Korea specialist at the Yonsei Institute for North Korean Studies at Yonsei University in Seoul, referring to U.S. Forces Korea. But 'they need to consider and accommodate the situations their security partners are under and facing,' he said. 'If they go with 'What is good for the U.S. is good for the world,' I am not sure how long that approach could work,' Bong said.
Memri
4 days ago
- Politics
- Memri
S. Korea's Crucial June 3 Election: Could The U.S. Lose South Korea To Communist China?
On June 3, 2025, South Korea heads to the polls for the snap presidential elections, triggered by the impeachment of pro-U.S. conservative president Yoon Suk-yeol, who pursued economic decoupling from China.[1] (Source: X) David Eunkoo Kim To FOX News: This Election Is Widely Seen As A Pivotal Moment For South Korea On June 1, 2025, David Eunkoo Kim, founder and representative of Truth Forum, a conservative youth organization founded at Seoul National University, gave an interview to FOX news about the crucial upcoming elections in South Korea. David Eunkoo Kim, who works with MEMRI (See MEMRI Daily Brief No. 772, South Korea's Democrats, Crisis, And What The U.S. Must Know, by David Eunkoo Kim, May 16, 2025) said to FOX news: "This election is widely seen as a pivotal moment for South Korea because the stakes – both domestically and geopolitically – are extraordinarily high."[2] Then, commenting about Lee Jae-myung, current Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) candidate at the June 3 presidential elections, David Eunkoo Kim added: "Throughout his political career, [Lee] has consistently aligned himself with both pro-North Korean and pro-Chinese agendas. He has been implicated in sending funds to North Korea in violation of U.N. sanctions, and his deference to China has been nothing short of submissive." David Eunkoo Kim, founder and president of the Truth Forum (See MEMRI Daily Brief No. 772, South Korea's Democrats, Crisis, And What The U.S. Must Know, by David Eunkoo Kim, May 16, 2025) David Eunkoo Kim In The New York Sun: "The Leftist DPK Presidential Candidate Lee Jae-Myung Actively Advocates For Improving Relations With China" In a recent article to the New York Sun, David Eunkoo Kim stressed: "The leftist DPK presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung actively advocates for improving relations with China and criticized the 'inequality' of the U.S.-South Korea alliance, making him a prominent pro-China politician. Lee advocates for 'autonomous and balanced diplomacy centered on national interests.' He even mentioned that, if elected, he would cancel the THAAD (American anti-ballistic missile defense system) deployment and take wartime operational control of South Korean forces. Lee embraces a dangerous revisionist interpretation of Korean history – one that casts doubt on the very legitimacy of the Republic itself, absolves the violent legacy of communism, and promotes anti-American resentment."[3] David Eunkoo Kim then added: "The DPK's embrace of revisionist history has translated into real-world deference to authoritarian regimes, most notably China."
Los Angeles Times
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Nicaragua withdraws from UNESCO in protest of press freedom award
PARIS — UNESCO on Sunday announced the withdrawal of Nicaragua from the U.N. cultural and educational body because of the awarding of its prize celebrating press freedom to a Nicaraguan newspaper. Nicaragua announced its withdrawal from the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in a letter that UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said she received Sunday morning. In the letter, seen by the Associated Press, Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Valdrack Jaentschke denounced the awarding of a UNESCO press freedom prize to La Prensa. The prize jury hailed the newspaper's work in the face of 'severe repression' and reporting from exile that 'courageously keeps the flame of press freedom alive' in the Central American country. Nicaragua's government, led by President Daniel Ortega and his wife and co-president, Rosario Murillo, has been cracking down on dissent since it violently repressed protests in 2018, claiming the rallies were backed by foreign powers that sought his overthrow. In his letter to UNESCO, Jaentschke claimed La Prensa is a pro-U.S. news outlet and 'represents the vile betrayal against our Motherland.' Nicaragua was one of 194 member states in the United Nations agency, which promotes education, science and culture and works for the preservation of outstanding cultural and natural heritage around the world. Its departure comes at a time UNESCO is also in President Trump's crosshairs. Here's a look at the dispute: UNESCO member states created the World Press Freedom Prize in 1997. The only U.N. prize awarded to journalists, it is named after Colombian newspaper journalist Guillermo Cano Isaza, who was assassinated in Bogota, the capital, in 1986. An international jury of media professionals that recommended La Prensa for the 2025 award on Saturday said through its chairman that the newspaper, founded in 1926, 'has made courageous efforts to report the truth to the people of Nicaragua.' UNESCO said that 'since 2021, following the imprisonment and expulsion of its leaders from the country as well as the confiscation of its assets, La Prensa has continued to inform the Nicaraguan population online, with most of its team in exile and operating from Costa Rica, Spain, Mexico, Germany and the United States.' Other recent laureates include Belarus' top independent journalists' organization, recognized in 2022, and, in 2019, journalists Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone, who were jailed in Myanmar for their reporting on the military's brutal crackdown on Rohingya Muslims. Jaentschke's letter said that UNESCO recognition for La Prensa was 'undeserved' and that the agency's actions were 'unacceptable and inadmissible.' The minister alleged, without offering evidence, that La Prensa has promoted U.S. military and political intervention in Nicaragua. 'It is deeply shameful that UNESCO appears as the promoter, and obviously as an accomplice, of an action that offends and attacks the deepest Values of Nicaragua's National Identity and Culture,' his signed and stamped letter said. In a statement announcing Nicaragua's decision to leave, Azoulay said that 'UNESCO is fully within its mandate when it defends freedom of expression and press freedom around the world.' 'I regret this decision, which will deprive the people of Nicaragua of the benefits of cooperation, particularly in the fields of education and culture,' she said. In his first term, Trump looked dimly on Ortega's rule. In 2018, Trump signed into law a bill to cut off resources to the government of Nicaragua. But he has also been critical of UNESCO. In an executive order in February, Trump called for a review of U.S. involvement in the agency. His previous administration in 2017 announced that the U.S. would withdraw from UNESCO, citing anti-Israel bias. That decision took effect a year later. The United States formally rejoined UNESCO in 2023 after a five-year absence, under the Biden administration.
Hamilton Spectator
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Nicaragua is quitting a UN agency over a press freedom award. Here's a look at the issue
PARIS (AP) — The United Nations agency that promotes education, science and culture and also works for the preservation of outstanding cultural and natural heritage around the world is abruptly losing one of its 194 member states. It marks a blow to the Paris-based body that is also in U.S. President Donald Trump 's crosshairs. Nicaragua angrily announced its withdrawal from the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in a letter that UNESCO's director general, Audrey Azoulay, said she received Sunday morning. In the letter seen by The Associated Press, Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Valdrack Jaentschke denounced the awarding of a UNESCO press freedom prize to a Nicaraguan newspaper, La Prensa. The prize jury hailed the newspaper's work in the face of 'severe repression' and reporting from exile that 'courageously keeps the flame of press freedom alive' in the Central American country. Nicaragua's government, led by President Daniel Ortega and his wife and co-president, Rosario Murillo, has been cracking down on dissent since it violently repressed protests in 2018 , claiming they were backed by foreign powers that sought his overthrow. In his letter to UNESCO, Jaentschke claimed La Prensa is a pro-U.S. media and 'represents the vile betrayal against our Motherland.' Here's a look at the dispute: UNESCO's Guillermo Cano Prize UNESCO member states created the World Press Freedom Prize in 1997. The only U.N. prize awarded to journalists, it is named after Colombian newspaper journalist Guillermo Cano Isaza, who was assassinated in Colombia's capital, Bogota, in 1986. An international jury of media professionals that recommended La Prensa for the 2025 award on Saturday said through its chairman that the newspaper, founded almost a century ago in 1926, 'has made courageous efforts to report the truth to the people of Nicaragua.' UNESCO said that 'since 2021, following the imprisonment and expulsion of its leaders from the country as well as the confiscation of its assets , La Prensa has continued to inform the Nicaraguan population online , with most of its team in exile and operating from Costa Rica, Spain, Mexico, Germany and the United States.' Some other recent laureates included Belarus' top independent journalists' organization, recognized in 2022 , and, in 2019, journalists Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone who were jailed in Myanmar for their reporting on the military's brutal crackdown on Rohingya Muslims. Nicaragua's fury Jaentschke's letter said UNESCO recognition for La Prensa was 'undeserved' and that the agency's actions were 'unacceptable and inadmissible.' The minister alleged, without offering evidence, that La Prensa has promoted U.S. military and political intervention in Nicaragua. 'It is deeply shameful that UNESCO appears as the promoter, and obviously as an accomplice, of an action that offends and attacks the deepest Values of Nicaragua's National Identity and Culture,' his signed and stamped letter said. UNESCO's regret In a statement announcing Nicaragua's decision to leave, Azoulay said 'UNESCO is fully within its mandate when it defends freedom of expression and press freedom around the world.' 'I regret this decision, which will deprive the people of Nicaragua of the benefits of cooperation, particularly in the fields of education and culture,' she said. Trump's UNESCO review In his first presidency, Trump looked dimly on Ortega's rule. In 2018, Trump signed into law a bill to cut off resources to the government of Nicaragua. But he's also not been much of a fan of UNESCO. In an executive order in February, Trump called for a review of American involvement in the agency. In his first presidency, Trump's administration in 2017 announced that the U.S. would withdraw from UNESCO, citing anti-Israel bias . That decision took effect a year later. The United States formally rejoined UNESCO in 2023 after a five-year absence, under the presidency of Joe Biden.
