[FOCUS] Trump takes lead in diplomatic game in Northeast Asia

By Park Sae-jin Posted : March 7, 2017, 17:05 Updated : March 7, 2017, 17:27

[Yonhap Photo]


A game of chicken appears to be emerging around the Korean peninsula over an advanced US missile shield, an expert said, as US President Donald Trump is under pressure to make a decision on what to do with North Korea's defiant push for ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.

Trump took the lead in the game of diplomacy in Northeast Asia by endorsing the quick deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea soon after North Korea launched ballistic missiles one after another into waters near Japan.

"A game of chicken appears to be emerging on the issue, which will be played out whenever there is a new development on the issue," Lee Hee-ok, a professor at Seoul's Sungkyun Institute of China Studies, said in an article carried by 38 North, the website of a US research institute.

The deployment of a THAAD battery may open a "Pandora’s Box when it ultimately becomes reality", he said, suggesting it will not be easy for Seoul and Beijing to find a practical middle ground.

China worries that the system's detection range could be changed later to target its strategic missiles and force Beijing to spend more on defending its coastal missile bases, Lee said.

"Beijing is aware that a long-term goal of the US rebalance to Asia is to check or block China through security cooperation with South Korea and Japan. It expects an additional strategic burden from changes to the regional 'power balance'," he said.

South Korea regards THAAD as one means of filling security gaps and guaranteeing the stable presence of US forces on the Koran peninsula, he said, adding the question is how Seoul can actively create space for dialogue with Beijing, given that the THAAD battery represents "strategic competition" between the two superpowers.

As long as South Korea and China avoid "a blame game" over who is responsible" for a crisis triggered by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, they will be able to manage the status quo through an understanding of each other's positions, even if they are not necessarily in agreement, he said.

Chinese leaders are growing increasingly impatient with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, they still regard North Korea as a crucial buffer between American allies and its own border.

In Washington, the National Security Council has embarked on a policy review, examining options such as patient containment, pre-emptive strikes, and several courses in between. This was the first time for Trump to play an active role in diplomatic issues regarding Northeast Asia. 

Hours after parts of a THAAD battery arrived Monday night, Trump called South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who serves as acting head of state, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Trump emphasized Washington's "ironclad" security commitment to stand with Japan and South Korea and agreed to continue "close bilateral and trilateral cooperation to demonstrate to North Korea that there are very dire consequences for its provocative and threatening actions", the White House said.

Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
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