Fred Fleitz, the Vice Chairman of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), known as a close associate of U.S. President Donald Trump, stated regarding the U.S. imposing a 25% reciprocal tariff on South Korea, “I believe it’s the first signal of negotiation,” adding, “I think it will change through the negotiations.”
Fleitz made these remarks today (3rd) as a speaker at a forum titled “The Trump Administration’s Second Term and East Asian Security,” hosted by the Sejong Institute at the Seoul Press Center.
He emphasized that the policies pursued by the Trump administration are not anti-alliance in nature but seek “fair alliances,” noting that there will be various opportunities for negotiations with the U.S. in areas such as Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects and shipbuilding, in addition to tariffs.
When asked by former Future United Party lawmaker Min Kyung-wook to predict the result of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment trial, Fleitz refrained from commenting, stating, “I don’t want to interfere in South Korea’s domestic affairs.”
However, he conveyed that “President Trump had remarked, ‘I would like to speak with President Yoon if he is not impeached.'”
Furthermore, Fleitz mentioned that President Trump faced hurdles such as impeachment during his first term and that the Democratic Party is also discussing impeachment during his second term, suggesting that “President Trump may sympathize with President Yoon and his supporters to some extent.”
Regarding the criticism that President Trump is close to dictators, Fleitz explained, “As the U.S. president, one must be able to communicate with leaders of adversarial nations like Xi Jinping (President of China), Kim Jong-un (Chairman of North Korea), and Vladimir Putin (President of Russia),” adding, “It’s about working together to reach agreements.”
Fleitz also said, “If certain conditions are met, there will be an effort to resume dialogue with North Korea,” and before the U.S.-North Korea summit, “The U.S. will have in-depth consultations with South Korea and Japan first.”
AFPI is a think tank with a pro-Trump orientation, and Fleitz served as the Chief of Staff for the National Security Council (NSC) during Trump’s first administration and was recently involved in Trump’s second-term transition team.
[Photo source: Yonhap News]
Contact Information:
– Phone: 02-781-1234, 4444
– Email: [email protected]
– KakaoTalk: Search ‘KBS제보’ (KBS Report) and add the channel
– Subscribe to KBS News on Naver and YouTube!