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| President Donald Trump arrives to deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday. AP-Yonhap |
By Do Je-hae
U.S. President Donald Trump's State of the Union address has always captured the Korean media's attention due to its usual reference to North Korea. But the North was missing Feb. 4, while President Trump mentioned other diplomatic issues such as Iran and Venezuela.
The absence has led to questions about what it could possibly mean for the Korean Peninsula.
"In front of the very Congress that has been consumed with the impeachment debate, Trump claimed U.S. economic and military strength are unmatched in the world," Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha Woman's University, said. "He said his policies have allies contributing more and have put America's enemies on the run. But Trump made no mention of North Korea. This will leave observers in Asia asking about the future of U.S. policy on denuclearization."
Absence of outomes There is diverse speculation on why Trump left out North Korea. Some experts say it has to do with the absence of tangible outcomes on its denuclearization despite his two summits with Kim.
"There was no way that he could claim the kind of successes that he once believed he had on North Korea and is confident he's had with Iran, Iraq, ISIS, Israel and Palestine," Donald Kirk, an analyst and author on Korean Peninsula issues, said.
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"So, on Korea, he chose to say nothing rather than go on bragging that he's really gotten somewhere with his friend Kim Jong-un when obviously he has not. Nor can he shout out his great faith in the U.S. relationship with South Korea when he's ordered strenuous talks on costs that are turning into an embarrassment and may wind up quite badly for both sides."
Concerns are rising here that North Korea may not be on his mind as much as previous years as the U.S. leader directs all his focus and energy on achieving reelection.
"Foreign policy in general plays a very limited role in swaying US voters' choices for president and, thus considering we are in an election year, Trump is better off focusing on domestic issues, especially the solid state of the economy, which voters do care about," said Mason Richey, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
Shift of prioritiesThere are also concerns about what kind of impact the shift of Trump's priorities will have on President Moon Jae-in's drive to improve inter-Korean relations this year. Moon declared at the beginning of the year that he will push for inter-Korean projects regardless of the deadlock in U.S.-North Korea denuclearization talks. Latest reports said that some key Cheong Wa Dae officials visited Washington this week to discuss relevant issues.
"From a coordinated position of alliance strength, the U.S. and South Korea can explore angles to reengage North Korea, such as offering public health assistance and restarting separated family reunions," Easley said.
The absence of North Korea in the U.S. leader's annual speech on national priorities is in contrast to Trump's State of the Union speeches in the past two years, where his remarks on the country served as a kind of a barometer for his policy on Pyongyang.
On Feb. 5, 2019, Trump declared he would be holding a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. "As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula," said. "Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in 15 months.
"If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea with potentially millions of people killed. Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is a good one. And Chairman Kim and I will meet again on Feb. 27 and 28 in Vietnam."
In 2018, Trump denounced the country's missiles development and its human rights violations. "North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten our homeland," he said. "We are waging a campaign of maximum pressure to prevent that from happening. Past experience has taught us that complacency and concessions only invite aggression and provocation.
"I will not repeat the mistakes of past administrations that got us into this dangerous position. We need only look at the depraved character of the North Korean regime to understand the nature of the nuclear threat it could pose to America and our allies."
