In Korea, Confounded by Trump

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/25/opinion/north-korea-trump.html

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To the Editor:

Re “Trump Cancels North Korea Meeting” (front page, May 25) and “Trump Says North Korea Summit May Be Rescheduled” (nytimes.com, May 25):

I am a Korean-American professor in Seoul. Most people here seem confounded by President Trump’s actions. Mr. Trump is the rare American president who makes the North Korean regime look stable and mature in comparison. This month, he has alienated both his European and Asian democratic allies — alliances that took decades to develop. This is a low point for American diplomacy and leadership.

For the sake of global peace and prosperity, I sincerely pray that our president can learn from this debacle and exercise more strategic thinking and deliberation. In the meantime, I encourage the elected leaders of South Korea and Japan to meet and negotiate a mutually beneficial peace with the North Korean government.

It is time for Asian democracies to step up and lead when the United States is no longer able and willing to do so. Shedding dependency on the United States may be a silver lining of the Trump presidency.

JOSEPH YI, SEOUL, KOREA