Trump Promises To 'figure It Out' With S. Korea's Moon
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published November 07, 2017 | 10:30 AM
US President Donald Trump arrived in Seoul Tuesday vowing to "figure it all out" with his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-In, despite the two allies' differences on how to deal with the nuclear-armed North
Seoul,(APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 07th Nov, 2017 ) :US President Donald Trump arrived in Seoul Tuesday vowing to "figure it all out" with his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-In, despite the two allies' differences on how to deal with the nuclear-armed North.
As tensions over Pyongyang's weapons programme have soared, the US president has traded personal insults and threats of war with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, but the South's capital and its 10 million inhabitants would be on the front line of any conflict.
"Getting ready to leave for South Korea and meetings with President Moon, a fine gentleman," Trump tweeted early Tuesday from Japan, the first stop on his Asian tour, adding: "We will figure it all out!" The tone was in marked contrast to a previous Trump tweet in which he accused Moon -- who has backed engagement with the North to bring it to the negotiating table -- of "appeasement".
Trump walked down the steps of Air Force One at Osan air base outside Seoul accompanied by the First Lady, and was welcomed by South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-Wha. The US president flew in from Japan after securing Tokyo's full support for Washington's stance that "all options are on the table" regarding Pyongyang, and declaring its nuclear ambitions "a threat to the civilised world and international peace and stability".
He enjoyed three days of near-bromance with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, calling him "wonderful" after a round of golf and describing US-Japan ties as "really extraordinary". Trump's relationship with Moon, a former human rights lawyer, is noticeably cooler, stoking concerns about the decades-old alliance and fears in Seoul that it could be sidelined by the US in favour of Tokyo.
South Korea is rolling out the red carpet for Trump as it seeks messages of assurance about the alliance and US resolve. At the same time, while Trump has threatened Pyongyang with "fire and fury", Moon is mindful that much of Seoul is within range of the North's artillery and in an address to parliament last week demanded: "There should be no military action on the peninsula without our prior consent." In an editorial Tuesday ahead of Trump's arrival, the Korea Times said of the US president: "His 'rhetorical bombs' say it all." "However calm Koreans are reported to be about the Trump-Kim war of words, we cherish our lives as much as Americans do theirs and feel scared by the outlook of war," it added.
Kim Hyun-Wook, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic academy, told AFP that the two allies have "subtle differences in their positions" and underlying suspicions about each other.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
WASA launches comprehensive campaign to test quality of water
Food Authority team conducts operation in Jackson market harbor area
KCP Captain Shahzaib Rind calls on Balochistan CM
PNCA to organize folk, classical & Sufi dance performances on Int'l Dance Day
Chief Minister Gilgit Baltistan Haji Gulbar Khan calls on Minister for Privatis ..
USC to hold ‘E-Kachehry' on April 25 (tomorrow)
Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir ..
DC directs to implement fixed prices of Naan,Tandoori Roti
Revised UAF budget recommended
Hajj permits start for domestic pilgrims in Saudi Arabia
Atta Tarar presents Rs 1 million cheque to Karachi Press Club
Provision of conducive environ vital for growth of businesses: Prime Minister Mu ..
More Stories From World
-
UAE announces $544 million for repairs after record rains
29 minutes ago -
Hamas releases video of Israeli-American hostage held in Gaza
25 minutes ago -
Iran president visits Sri Lanka, inaugurates power, irrigation project
1 hour ago -
Italy fines Amazon over 'recurring' purchase option
1 hour ago -
Top France court confirms ex-PM's conviction in fake jobs scandal
1 hour ago -
UBS chairman decries tighter capital rules
1 hour ago
-
Israel says forces carrying out 'offensive action' in south Lebanon
1 hour ago -
Spain PM under pressure as wife faces graft probe
2 hours ago -
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken arrives in Shanghai
2 hours ago -
N. Macedonia starts elections that could decide stalled EU talks
2 hours ago -
Haaland ruled out of Man City's crucial trip to Brighton
2 hours ago -
Four dead as floods wreak havoc in Kenyan capital
2 hours ago