"Not an Immediate Threat"… Could the Withdrawal of US Forces in Korea Be on the Table?

[Anchor]

Despite North Korea's ballistic missile launch yesterday (the 20th), the United States assessed that it did not pose an immediate threat. This subdued response is seen as a reflection of President Trump's strong drive to pursue North Korea-U.S. dialogue. Speculation is even rising that he could pull out the card of withdrawing U.S. forces from South Korea in order to meet Kim Jong-un.

Here is correspondent Jeon Byeong-nam from Washington.

[Reporter]

Regarding North Korea's launch of over a dozen ballistic missiles yesterday, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command issued a statement saying that it "did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, territory, or our allies."

Compared to past instances where the State Department or the Department of Defense stepped forward to strongly condemn missile provocations, both the issuing body and the tone of the announcement were lowered.

Previously, Trump avoided questions on North Korea's denuclearization, defended Chairman Kim Jong-un, and showed a proactive willingness toward a North Korea-U.S. summit.

[Donald Trump / U.S. President (local time on the 19th): (Is your goal with Chairman Kim still denuclearization?) Well, I don't want to talk about that. Frankly, I thought (the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises) were very insulting to someone (Kim) who has behaved very politely, at least during my term.]

Because of this, concerns are being raised that Trump might make excessive concessions, such as withdrawing U.S. forces from South Korea, to secure a summit without receiving guarantees from North Korea on easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

It is known that during the first North Korea-U.S. summit in 2018, Trump attempted to present the withdrawal of U.S. forces in Korea as a concession, but abandoned the idea due to opposition from figures like Defense Secretary Mattis.

However, the current second-term administration is filled with loyalists, leaving virtually no advisors to block Trump's unilateral decisions or erratic actions.

Some analysts suggest that President Trump might push the summit schedule even further forward to secure diplomatic achievements ahead of the midterm elections in November.

Even an "October Surprise" scenario involving a surprise visit to Pyongyang by Trump in October is being discussed.

John Bolton, a North Korea hawk who served as national security advisor during the first Trump administration, criticized that "Trump's actions are weakening deterrence against North Korea and sending a grim political signal to allies like South Korea."

(Camera: Park Eun-ha | Video Editing: Jung Sung-hoon | Design: Kim Ye-ji)

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