South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has dusted off his golf clubs in an attempt to forge a bond with President-elect Donald Trump, an avid lover of the game.
The presidential office said on Tuesday that Yoon began practising the game for the first time in eight years in preparation for a possible round of golf with Trump.
Since his election, Trump’s “America first” approach has raised concerns it could negatively affect the US defence commitment to South Korea and hurt the trade interests of the East Asian country in various ways, including increased tariffs.
Some experts say it’s important to build a close personal friendship with Trump during the transition period before he formally takes office in January.
“Much could depend on whether Yoon is able to strike up positive chemistry with Trump immediately during the transition and foster a close personal friendship to convince him to want to support and advance Seoul’s interests,” said Duyeon Kim, a senior analyst at the Centre for a New American Security in Washington.
Yoon and Trump discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation and agreed to hold an in-person meeting soon during a phone call on Thursday. The South Korean president told reporters later that while things couldn’t remain the same as under the Biden administration, “we have been preparing to hedge these risks for a long time”.
