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Washington Post: Seoul and State Dept. oppose Trump’s DMZ visit

Washington Post: Seoul and State Dept. oppose Trump’s DMZ visit

Posted October. 20, 2017 07:56,   

Updated October. 20, 2017 09:10

한국어

The Washington Post has reported that the White House is having a heated debate over whether U.S. President Donald Trump should visit the DMZ during his visit to South Korea, which is slated for November 7. The newspaper said that neither the State Department nor the South Korean government supports President Trump’s visit to the DMZ.

According to the newspaper on Wednesday, his visit could further escalate tensions between the United States and North Korea, with his personal safety being exposed to dangers. The concerns on the part of South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s aides that Mr. Trump’s visit to the demilitarized zone might precipitate military conflicts by causing the regime to take missteps, leading to adverse effects on the financial market and next year’s Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games, The Washington Post has reported.

Others argue that President Trump must make his DMZ visit for its symbolism as he is scheduled to meet with the families of the Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea and make a speech at the National Assembly of South Korea, both of which are designed to send a strong message to the communist regime.

It appears that President Trump has yet to make up his mind on the schedule. In a press conference on Monday, a reporter asked, “Do you want to visit the DMZ, which is the worst possible time that you can provoke North Korea if you take the DMZ now?”, and Mr. Trump said, “We have not had a detailed plan yet.”



Sung-Ha Joo zsh75@donga.com