With less than three days remaining until the summit between President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, it has been reported that no working-level negotiations have taken place between the two countries.

A White House source told News & Post as of 4:30 p.m. on Friday the 22nd (5:30 a.m. on the 23rd, Korea Standard Time) that "no negotiations of any kind have occurred."

Initially, it was anticipated that the upcoming summit would result in additional agreements beyond the already settled $350 billion investment in the U.S. and the $100 billion energy import deal.

While working-level discussions toward this end have been ongoing, reports indicate that both sides have failed to reach an agreement.

The issue most frequently discussed by the media has been the sharing of defense costs for U.S. Forces Korea (USFK). Amidst the prevailing analysis that the approach toward a nuclear-armed North Korea will be the core issue, the U.S. has expressed a position that South Korea should contribute up to $10 billion.

National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lac stated in a press briefing that "the matter of expenditures is currently being discussed between South Korea and the United States, and specific figures are still under negotiation."

Citing a federal official, Reuters reported that discussions are underway within the Department of Defense regarding the partial withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea.

The U.S. side maintains that a broad discussion is necessary on how to utilize the alliance and the USFK to counter China.

Eugene Yu, former president of the Federation of Korean Associations in the USA who ran for the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican candidate, said in a special live broadcast with News & Post on Friday morning the 22nd that there could be demands for South Korea to disclose the sources of its promised investments.

A policy briefing that recently advised President Trump to cancel the meeting with Lee Jae-myung points out the risk of China infiltrating the United States through South Korea.

Yu also mentioned that the U.S. side might have requested the release of former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife. He noted that, given President Trump’s character, such a demand is highly plausible.

In fact, it is reported that some in the conservative camp have suggested that just as former President Ronald Reagan once called for Kim Dae-jung to be sent to the U.S., efforts to grant asylum to former President Yoon and his wife could be possible.

Yu further mentioned that there could be additional demands of about $100 billion, on top of the previously settled $450 billion deal. Considering South Korea's current foreign exchange reserves, accepting such additional demands would be impossible.

With numerous factors being cited, the first U.S.-South Korea summit between Trump and Lee, scheduled for Monday the 25th, appears to be increasingly shrouded in uncertainty.

U.S. NNP = CEO & Managing Editor Sung Ku Hong / Special Report for Korea-U.S. Daily

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