A little more than a week after the U.S. presidential election, world leaders are still trying to figure out what a second Trump administration means for them. In South Korea, expectations are mixed.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is picking up his golf clubs for the first time in eight years. That word came from the country's presidential office this week, adding that Yoon is practicing for a potential round of golf — and conversation — with Donald Trump.
There's a lot to talk about. The two men spoke on the phone for about 12 minutes a week ago today.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency said Trump talked about working with South Korea in naval shipbuilding, repair and maintenance. North Korea was a predictable topic of discussion — more specifics will follow — along with other issues.
South Korea remains an export-driven economy — so tariffs are a concern for Yoon. He's also likely to hear a familiar Trump campaign line that South Korea should pay more for the presence of nearly 30,000 U.S. troops.
Yoon is a career prosecutor — and more conservative than his predecessor, Moon Jae-in. But Moon had a special link with Trump: He helped arrange the initial three-way meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
In Seoul, Washington's policy towards North Korea remains a big question mark.
But it's clear the next steps in the U.S.-South Korea relationship will require more than fresh golf clubs.
