US policy in the Korean peninsula may be in jeopardy as South Korean elected Moon Jae-In as its new president. Moon is a human rights lawyer who favors to a dialogue with North Korea and is an ardent proponent of Korean unification through mutual agreements and not through conflict. Moon may spell the end of American influence in South Korea.
What is the Moon Jae-In's plan to reunite the two Koreas?
Moon Jae-In stands in a position that is mostly against with the US policy in the Korean peninsula. He is among those who regard Trump's plan of having South Korea to pay its share for THAAD a bad idea, which helped fan the flames of dissent over the installation of the missile defense system.
Moon also favors a more diplomatic approach towards North Korea, which is what China and Russia wants.
The new South Korean president may become uncooperative of any US policy that will require the country to continue its defiant snub of Pyongyang. If Moon will continue with his dialogue policy, it will the first real diplomatic talks with North Korea for over a decade.
What will happen if Moon does restart dialogue with North Korea?
Though the new president hasn't formally stated his stand on the Korean crisis, it is expected he will approach it diplomatically. As a human rights lawyer, he adamantly disapproves imposing stricter sanctions on a country that is on the brink of complete starvation.
His policy contrasts with those of his predecessors, who are all in favor of viciously imposing sanctions to stifle Pyongyang to submission alongside the United States.
Also, due to his anti-THAAD stand, his election will considerably increase the unpopularity of US presence in South Korea. This can lead to diplomatic quagmires that may force even the United States to eventually leave the Korean peninsula for good.
What is the US military's response to Moon's diplomatic policy?
It is certain that Moon's victory gave China a sigh of relief as South Korea will now be a part of Beijing's diplomatic route towards solving the Korean crisis. The US response was asked to Sean Spicer when he delivered his scheduled White house briefing earlier today.
Spicer said that he will not comment on the issue as President Trump is being briefed by his staff over the diplomatic problems in the Korean peninsula. However. at the moment, US presence in the area will continue to be enforced, drills with South Korean military will go as planned and sanctions against North Korea will be strictly imposed.
