The View From Seoul On Trump-Kim Meeting: It May Never Happen, But It's Worth A Try
Many South Koreans are reacting with cautious optimism. But politicians seem more confident. "We will see major changes in the next two months," South Korean President Moon Jae-in told his cabinet.
South Korea's 51 million people have been under existential threat for so long that they've largely normalized the risks posed to them by North Korea. After all, Seoul has been the target of Pyongyang's espionage plots and tunnels and artillery since Korea split in two more than 60 years ago.
Today's South Koreans, in public opinion surveys, don't think highly of North Korea's regime — As for their views on Washington, South Korea's ally and military guarantor, confidencehas plummeted in recent years. A South Koreans' confidence in the U.S. president dropped from 88 percent in 2015, while Barack Obama was in the White House, to 17 percent
