Recent polling data has revealed a sharp decline in the number of Americans who would back the US military in the event of a North Korean attack on South Korea. This has led to fears that Donald Trump may be re-elected in the upcoming presidential election, thus further complicating the security situation. With North Korea having declared the possession of nuclear weapons in its Constitution, it is imperative that the Yoon Suk Yeol administration take a proactive stance in its diplomatic relations with the US.
The survey, conducted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, found that only half of the 3,242 US citizens polled were in favor of US forces intervening in the defense of South Korea, a 13 percent decrease from the previous year. This partisan divide was made clear, with 57 percent of Democrats supporting the US defense of South Korea, while only 46 percent of Republicans agreed. This clearly indicates a weakening of the alliance between the two major parties.
The research institute noted that the survey results indicated a growing partisan divide over the deployment of US military forces to protect an ally, a conflict that is edging closer to a “political civil war” in the Congress. The South Korean government must not overlook this worrying change in public opinion in America. We are still aware of the former US President’s demands for South Korea to pay more for defense costs. If US opinion turns against US involvement in a war on the Korean Peninsula, it would be catastrophic. Since the South Korea-US Mutual Defense Treaty does not require “automatic intervention” in times of crisis, our government must be proactive in their diplomatic endeavors.
The South Korean government must strive to persuade the US government, Congress, and the corporate sector that the advancement of North Korean nuclear weapons is a direct threat to US security, and that the only way to protect US interests is to confront the threat together with South Korea, a bastion of free democracy. At the same time, the government must increase its self-defense capabilities. Revising the Korea-US Nuclear Energy Agreement, which is more disadvantageous to South Korea than the Japan-US agreement, could be a good place to start.