Are we going to renegotiate defense costs?North Korea policy is likely to affect it, too.

South Korea and the U.S. agreed last month to raise defense cost-sharing by 8.3% in 2026
Possibility of U.S. renegotiation...Trump should "up ninefold"
Prospects for significant impact on South Korea's North Korea policy stance
Trump Shows Off 'Bromance' With Kim Jong Un...I'm going to talk to you.

[Anchor]
With former President Trump's re-election success, a change in the security landscape on the Korean Peninsula is expected to be inevitable.

First of all, the possibility of renegotiating the defense cost share between South Korea and the U.S. is being discussed, and our North Korea policy is expected to be significantly affected.

I'm reporter Lee Jong Won.

[Reporter]
South Korea and the U.S. agreed early last month to contribute to South Korea's defense costs in 2026.

It is worth 1.5 trillion won, up 8.3% from the previous one.

However, Trump's election raises the possibility that the U.S. will demand renegotiation.

Former President Trump has maintained his position that South Korea should pay 13 trillion won a year, nine times the current level.

[Donald Trump / Former President of the United States] If I were in the White House now, I would pay $10 billion a year. They would have been willing to do so. Korea is a money machine.]

Our policy stance toward North Korea, which has emphasized peace by power, is also expected to be significantly affected.

Former President Trump has been showing off his "bromance" by exchanging correspondence with Chairman Kim Jong-un even after the "Hanoi breakdown."

There is a high possibility of putting dialogue in any form, but compared to the Biden administration, which has deliberately ignored North Korea, North Korea could have a wider range of actions.

During this presidential election, former President Trump also made remarks that seemed to consider North Korea's nuclear possession a fait accompli.

[Donald Trump / Former U.S. President: When we go back to the White House, we will get along well with Chairman Kim Jong-un. Kim Jong-un is also hoping and missing me. It's a good thing to get along with someone who has a lot of nuclear weapons.

With Trump's election, the Korean government's response to the North Korean military's dispatch to Russia has also become more complicated.

Former President Trump has criticized Ukraine's support and said he would end the war early.

South Korea's position, which foreshadowed a phased response, such as support for weapons of destruction, against North Korea's dispatch of troops, is also likely to be affected.

[Jeong Sung-jang/Director of the Korean Peninsula Strategy Center, Sejong Institute: Since he said he would end the war in Ukraine immediately, there is a high possibility of a ceasefire in Ukraine next year.]

Earlier, the presidential office said that our government is ready to respond well to whatever the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.

He also stressed that the issue of Ukraine aid is being approached from the perspective of protecting our security.

I'm YTN's Lee Jong Won.


Video editing: Kim Jiyeon