Limitations of acting presidency

[Anchor]

There are great concerns about whether our government will be able to effectively respond to the upcoming challenges posed by Trump.

They are trying to utilize the experiences from Trump's first term, but is it the limitations of the acting presidency?

There are evaluations that the response is slightly delayed and somewhat lacking.

Next, we have reporter Kim Jun-beom.

[Report]

U.S. President Donald Trump places particular importance on personal relationships between leaders.

[Donald Trump/President of the United States/Mar. 2023: "I got along very well with Putin, even though I'm the one that ended his pipeline."]

[Donald Trump/President of the United States/Dec. 2024: "You know, he (Xi Jinping) is a friend of mine. He is an amazing guy."]

This is why quick 'telephone diplomacy' immediately after Trump takes office is important.

During his first term, Canada and Mexico, as neighboring countries, were the first to be contacted, followed by Israel.

Japan was contacted on the 8th day of his term, and South Korea on the 9th day when Acting Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn made the call.

South Korea is once again under an acting presidency this time, and is now 'pushing' for a call.

[Choi Sang-mok/Acting President: "I will also push for a call between President Trump and myself as soon as possible, and we will actively develop high-level communication between the foreign and industry ministers of both countries."]

It was widely anticipated that Trump would issue a flurry of executive orders immediately after taking office.

However, our government has only recently sent a 'working-level' delegation to Washington.

High-ranking officials in the fields of foreign affairs and trade have not yet visited the U.S.

Discussions for meetings with the foreign and industry ministers are still in the 'coordination' stage.

Japan's foreign minister and China's vice president were officially invited to the inauguration ceremony.

Considering that major countries around the world are all aiming for the 'golden time' early in the term, a slow response could be fatal.

[Cha Du-hyun/Vice President of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies: "Since he prefers negotiations between leaders, the authority of the acting president is limited, which could create obstacles in conducting in-depth negotiations."]

Although our government stated it would stabilize external credibility shaken by martial law, there have been no successful economic briefings or high-level meetings with the U.S. so far.

This is KBS News, Kim Jun-beom.