South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol recently began playing golf for the first time in eight years in preparation for future meetings with US President-elect Donald Trump, Yoon's office confirmed Tuesday.
South Korean media said Yoon visited a golf course on Saturday to play a sport his office said he last played in 2016.
“Many people close to President Trump… (told me) President Yoon and Trump will have good chemistry,” Yoon said at a news conference Thursday, after congratulating Trump over the phone on his victory.
Former Trump administration officials and influential Republicans had offered to help build ties with the incoming president, he added.
Analysts said Yoon could seek a way to capitalize on a personal friendship with Trump to advance Seoul's interests as Trump's “America First” foreign policy plans and unpredictable style unfold in his second term.
South Korean companies rely heavily on trade with the United States, and during Trump's first term, the countries clashed over sharing the costs of the approximately 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950 Korean War. -1953.
Officials in Seoul have been working to prepare for significant economic change, while Yoon on Sunday called for talks between government and industry to prepare for Trump's return.
Trump and Yoon's similar personalities and outward approaches may help them get along, said Ramón Pacheco Pardo, a Korean affairs specialist at King's College London.
“I also think that Yoon is generally well-liked by US policymakers, which will help him, whoever advises Trump on foreign policy,” he added.
Bruce Klingner of the Heritage Foundation in Washington agreed that the two could develop a strong relationship, but warned that it might not be enough to avoid negative impacts on South Korea.
“While many leaders will seek to replicate the friendship that Shinzo Abe had with Trump, there is no evidence that the personal relationship has resulted in tangible and demonstrative benefits for Japan,” added the former Central Intelligence Agency analyst, referring to the former prime minister. Japanese minister assassinated. minister.
Tokyo received the same treatment as Seoul in the contentious military cost-sharing talks, he added.
