[Editorial] Why is architect of Yoon admin’s failed diplomacy still consulting with US?

Kim Tae-hyo, the principal deputy national security adviser for South Korea, shakes hands with his US counterpart Alex Wong at the White House on April 25, 2025. (courtesy of the National Security Office)

Kim Tae-hyo, the principal deputy director of South Korea’s National Security Office who led the “all-in” diplomatic strategy of relying on the US under former President Yoon Suk-yeol, visited the US, where he held talks with a key White House official.

Korea is around 30 out from selecting its new president after Yoon was removed from office for his attempted insurrection on Dec. 3. To see a person who led the disastrous diplomacy of a failed administration reappear on the diplomatic stage at such a sensitive time arouses deep confusion and concern. 

The second administration of US President Donald Trump is likely to continue pursuing policies to contain China. If Kim engaged in discussions about utilizing the South Korea-US alliance in this pursuit, it would be an outrage far more shameless than even the THAAD deployment under Park Geun-hye. 

For the sake of a stable transition, we hope that Kim stops trying to narrow the diplomatic options of our next administration and spends the remainder of his term focusing on the task of handing over his knowledge and position. 

The South Korean Embassy in the US released documents on Friday saying that Kim met with US deputy national security adviser Alex Wong at the White House that day. The statement said that Kim and Wong held “wide-ranging discussions” concerning measures for fortifying the South Korea-US alliance.

What was particularly notable about the statement was its mention of “cooperation to enable the capabilities of the ROK Armed Forces and US Forces Korea to achieve greater synergy.”

While it’s difficult to say for sure based on this statement, we cannot rule out the possibility that Kim and Wong discussed measures for utilizing the South Korea-US alliance in the second Trump administration’s forceful efforts to contain China. 

The Washington Post reported that on March 29 the US Department of Defense referred to an internal guidance memo and identified deterring China’s seizure of Taiwan and the defense of the US mainland as the top priorities of the US military going forward. 

If Korea proactively engages in this strategy, the purpose of the South Korea-US alliance and US Forces Korea — the pillar of our national security for the past 70 years — will shift from defending Korea to containing China. 

This is not something for Kim to personally decide. It is something the next president should decide after listening to a variety of opinions and much consideration. 

South Korea suffered a great diplomatic cost eight years ago when the Park Geun-hye administration accepted the US-led installation of the THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system. The winds of the Trump administration are fundamentally shaking up the international order. We cannot afford to make the same mistake right now. Kim should keep this in mind. 

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]