Defense & Intelligence Policy, Business and Technology

Trump team's battle with North Korea has a glaring omission on the front lines

The Washington Post: NEW YORK — President Trump and his top aides say they’re doing everything in their power to pursue a diplomatic and peaceful resolution to the North Korea nuclear threat. But eight months into Trump’s tenure, he has yet to nominate a U.S. ambassador to South Korea, a glaring omission as the White House tries to formulate a coherent policy to confront Pyongyang.

The vacancy has left President Moon Jae-in’s new government without a prestigious and powerful partner from the Trump administration on the ground in Seoul at a time of escalating anxiety in East Asia — and without someone to help decode the president’s rhetorical bombast. On Tuesday, Trump threatened during a speech at the United Nations to “totally destroy” North Korea if necessary.

“The North Korea issue is such a high priority that it is imperative there is coordination between the United States and South Korea, and there needs to be a rock-solid channel of communication,” said Scott Snyder, director of the U.S.-Korea policy program at the Council on Foreign Relations. “That is simply absent.”

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