Former Yoon aides, lawmakers join team to court Trump

In a strategic bid to navigate the complexities of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term, South Korea is seeking inroads by strengthening personal ties with Trump and his inner circle, mobilizing figures from President Yoon Suk Yeol to his former key aides and lawmakers in an attempt to build a network of influence.

Since Trump’s victory, Yoon has expressed a strong commitment to meeting with the US President-elect at the earliest possible date, aiming solely to establish rapport and have dialogue before Trump’s January inauguration -- a diplomatic move that would be unprecedented for a sitting South Korean President.

Yoon has even resumed practicing golf after an eight-year hiatus to prepare for his meeting with Trump -- who is known for being a golf enthusiast.

Now, Yoon’s former key aides are poised to join the effort to court Trump’s inner circle.

Former Foreign Minister Park Jin and former National Security Advisor Kim Sung-han -- who both held inaugural positions in the Yoon administration -- are set to travel to Washington. They will be joined by a bipartisan delegation of South Korean lawmakers and veteran diplomats-turned-lawmakers, including Wi Sung-lac of the Democratic Party of Korea.

Their upcoming visit to Washington centers on attending the 9th annual Korea-US Strategic Forum -- co-hosted by CSIS and the Korea Foundation on Nov. 18 -- to address alliance dynamics and the implications of Trump’s reelection.

Yet, their trip is garnering heightened attention over how they intend to engage with Trump’s inner circle, as it follows closely on the heels of Trump’s confirmed return to the White House.

Park has notably cultivated personal connections within Trump’s inner circle, including with Senator Bill Hagerty, who is considered a top contender for secretary of state in the second Trump administration. Park and Hagerty met on multiple occasions during his tenure as foreign minister from May 2022 to January 2024.

Park also held a private meeting with former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his visit to South Korea this past May, where they explored avenues to strengthen Korea-US relations. Pompeo went to Harvard Law School and Park got a master of public administration from Harvard's Kennedy School.

Kim Sung-han, with an extensive network in the US, is notably the chief architect behind the Nuclear Consultative Group, which elevated the alliance to a nuclear-based partnership and strengthened US extended deterrence. Observers here believe Trump would likely find these policies largely unsatisfactory.

Rep. Kim Gunn of the ruling People Power Party and Rep. Kim Young-bae of the Democratic Party of Korea -- both vice chairs of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee -- are also set to attend a fireside chat at the Strategic Forum.

Kim Gunn, a veteran diplomat, has longstanding ties with Allison Hooker, who served as senior director for Asian Affairs on the National Security Council during Trump’s first term. Their connection goes back nearly two decades to Hooker’s tenure at the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, where they first crossed paths in China.

Wi maintains a close rapport with Fred Fleitz, who served as deputy assistant to Trump and chief of staff of the National Security Council.

In October, Wi and Kim Gunn met with Hooker and former National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien during their visit to South Korea.

Drawing lessons from Trump's first term, the Yoon government has engaged officials from the Foreign Ministry alongside political, academic and private sector figures to maintain frequent contact with members of Trump’s inner circle throughout the election cycle, South Korean senior diplomats said during a closed-door briefing Thursday.

Seoul officials are intensifying rapport-driven diplomacy between Yoon and Trump, taking a page from the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s successful strategy, The Korea Herald learned from dialogue with government officials.

Abe cultivated a close, personal relationship with Trump, allowing him to effectively strengthen US-Japan ties and champion Japanese interests on various issues including North Korea.

In November 2016, Abe was the first foreign leader to congratulate Trump on his election victory. Abe became the first head of state to meet Trump in person at Trump Tower and gifted him a gold-plated Honma golf club, nine days after Trump's victory.

Yoon emphasized to Trump during their first phone call his interest in “arranging a meeting at the earliest possible date to allow time for rapport-building and dialogue,” while presiding over his first meeting Sunday to strategize for Trump’s return.

However, South Korean officials are still navigating numerous challenges in facilitating a Yoon-Trump meeting, from the fierce competition to secure time with Trump to the complexities of defining the meeting’s purpose -- balancing the dynamics between the US president-elect and South Korea’s president while setting strategic goals, The Korea Herald learned from sources.

Cha Du-hyeogn, director of the Center for Foreign Policy and National Security at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, underscored the importance of leader-level meetings with Trump, noting that "President-elect Trump is likely to have a strong desire to shape foreign policy in his own style during his second administration."

"Therefore, it would be preferable to communicate through direct meetings or consultations between the leaders, rather than through other channels," Cha said. "Efforts should be made to create as many opportunities as possible for such leader-level meetings, and to do so as early as possible."