What to do to build a ‘bromance’ with Trump

Someone must squeeze out as much wisdom as possible to minimize the diplomatic, security and economic risks Trump’s second term will bring.

Chang Se-jeongThe author is an editorial writer of the JoongAng Ilbo. President Yoon Suk Yeol will never forget Nov. 7, as he lowered his head for the first time in the nationally-televised speech and press conference marking the midpoint of his five-year term. However, a diplomatic event which took place early in the morning of the conference can be more important to the future of Korea. On that day, President Yoon had his first phone call with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

According to foreign media reports, Trump received congratulatory calls from more than 70 leaders from around the world over five days, starting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But Trump’s phone conversations with the leaders of Korea and Japan stood out.

Japanese media reported that Yoon had a 12-minute conversation with Trump on Thursday, while Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba had a five-minute conversation with him that day.

Shortly after the 2016 U.S. election, Trump and then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had a 20-minute phone talk, as Abe boasted about his “bromance” with Trump. But this time, Ishiba was outranked by Yoon.

Media reported that Ishiba, known to be a heavy drinker, has no common point with Trump as he doesn’t play golf, unlike Abe. There is a sense of nervousness in Tokyo that Yoon could replace the late Abe. As Trump doesn’t drink alcohol, it may limit Yoon’s chance of capitalizing on his people skills. But Yoon has reportedly started practicing golf again after eight years. It will be interesting to see if Trump and Yoon will play golf together just like he did with Abe.

One can say that the order and duration of the phone call is not important, but it’s not something to be taken lightly, given Trump’s tendency to cherish personal intimacy. From this perspective, Yoon’s success in swiftly making a call was a good first step in his relationship with Trump.

The question is what comes next. As Trump will take office on Jan. 20, the transition team has already been launched. It is crucial to cement the Yoon-Trump relationship during the transition team’s operation, when the basic direction of Trump 2.0’s core policies on trade, security and foreign affairs are determined.

At the Nov. 7 press conference, President Yoon snickered when a foreign correspondent said, “Trump doesn’t know Yoon well and doesn’t like prosecutors, either.” At that time, Yoon expressed confidence, saying that U.S. officials close to Trump have predicted that he would have good chemistry with Trump.

However, actions to form a “bromance” between Yoon and Trump and establish a hotline between them to discuss how to deal with a nuclear-armed North Korea and how to learn from the Moon Jae-in administration’s failed North Korea policy are more important than words.

Chang Ho-jin, Yoon’s special adviser for foreign affairs and security, is expected to meet with Trump as Yoon’s special envoy. It would be nice if President Yoon pays a visit to Trump’s private residence at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, on his way to or from the Nov. 15-16 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru or arranges a separate trip before the end of this year.

In November 2016, Abe flew to New York just nine days after the U.S. election and presented Trump with golf clubs as a congratulatory gift and played golf with him a month after his inauguration. As a result, Abe could bring Trump to his side throughout Trump’s first term with his Quad and Indo-Pacific strategy.

It may also be worth considering assembling a “dream team” of envoys with influential people with close ties with Trump. Political and economic figures may be the first names on the list, but if the presidential office uses a new perspective, it could be better.

Just think of Kim Mina, the chairwoman of Build Up Korea, who had helped Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., to testify his faith at a large church during his visit in August. Another candidate for the dream team members can be Lee Dong-sup, the president of the World Taekwondo Headquarters, who was unexpectedly invited to Mar-a-Lago in November 2021 and presented Trump with a Taekwondo uniform and an honorary black belt certificate.

Possible envoys can also include Ji Seong-ho, a North Korean defector who was invited to Trump’s State of Union address in January 2018 and met with the U.S. president at the White House. Another candidate is Lee Hyeon-seo, a North Korean defector who wrote “The Girl With 7 Names,” a memoir Trump had promised to read.

No matter how chaotic domestic politics may be, someone must squeeze out as much wisdom as possible to minimize the diplomatic, security and economic risks Trump’s second term will bring.

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.