South Korea, with impeached leader, must prepare for Trump’s strategy of chaos, fear

US President Donald Trump has long been notorious for his bizarre, irrational and fact-distorting assertions. He is now trying to top such expectations since returning to the White House.

Just look at what he said about Gaza on Tuesday. He proposed that the US take over the Gaza Strip, displace more than 2 million Palestinians and turn the territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East” in what is seen as a horrifying move to many observers around the world.

The ominous problem is that Trump’s erratic and imperialist behaviors are not limited to the Gaza Strip, Greenland and Panama. His tariff threats are equally disturbing, as Trump agreed to hold off imposing 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico for 30 days, after last-minute calls with their leaders. But his plan to impose 10 percent tariffs on Chinese imports came into effect as scheduled, triggering retaliatory tariffs from China on various US exports.

A full-blown trade war between the US and China could deal a blow to South Korea since they are the country’s two biggest trading partners and an exchange of higher tariffs could undercut Korea’s exports and inflate prices.

Trump’s actions are often interpreted as part of what some call his “madman strategy,” in which he behaves as if he would do almost anything just to put pressure on and get leverage over others.

What others are calling Trump’s “shock and awe” tactics are expected to at some point include South Korea, which is in a vulnerable state right now. With impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol and deepening partisan squabbling, the country is poorly prepared to deal with any potentially outlandish threats from Trump.

Trump seems to be focused on what he views as pressing domestic and foreign issues. But it is just a matter of time before Trump shifts his focus to the Korean Peninsula and attempts to maximize political and economic profits beyond reasonable boundaries.

Two potentially key issues involve North Korea and defense cost-sharing between South Korea and the US. Trump recently called North Korea a “nuclear power,” leaving open the possibility of a summit with Kim Jong-un. Trump’s bragging about his bromance with Kim is also widely seen as a move that could lead to what here is called “Korea passing," or ignoring South Korea, in talks involving the US and North Korea over the latter's nuclear weapons development.

As with his sudden Gaza takeover proposal, in which Trump effectively sidelines all legitimate stakeholders, Trump can steer the negotiations with Pyongyang in an unpredictable way that sidelines Seoul.

For Trump, the decades-long “ironclad alliance” between South Korea and the US means little. If Trump sees a chance to extract profits from the US defense cost-sharing deal with South Korea, he will certainly do so by deploying the same strategy sowing chaos and fear.

On top of a bigger payout for defense costs, South Korea, ranked eighth in terms of its trade surplus with the US, must brace for potential tariff pressures from Trump. South Korea’s major export-oriented companies like Samsung, LG and Hyundai have much to lose if Trump pushes ahead with heavy tariffs on Korean imports in the US market.

Even though Trump’s tactics are well-known, South Korea does not have currently adequate countermeasures or strategies. Nor does the nation have a leader who can hold effective negotiations with him because acting President Choi Sang-mok has limitations due to his temporary role.

Given the urgency of the situation, the rival political parties must stop fighting with each other and join forces to prepare a strategy for dealing with the Trump administration.