미국 대선 초고

[송정현]

*논제를 잘 못 봐서 트럼프 당선시 한국에 미칠 영향을 포괄적으로 썼습니다. 참고해주세요.

"11월 미국 대선에서 트럼프 당선 시 한국에 어떤 영향을 미치는지 서술하시오."

[Trump's re-election poses grave threat to South Korea]

This year marks the biggest year of elections in history with at least 50 nations expected to vote. Among them, the most chilling is the return of former President Donald Trump to the White House as it has various implications regarding the security situation across the world as well as on the Korean Peninsula.

In the latest presidential campaign, Trump made hostile remarks against the members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), calling for their increased military spending. His remarks also hint at his apparent intention to lay groundwork to pull the US out of NATO. In response, a rising number of European nations are gearing up to fortify their military postures, anticipating the military vacuum in the event of the US withdrawal from NATO. Likewise, South Korea should promptly take measures against all possibilities both on the security and economic fronts should Trump get re-elected.

As his foreign policy is marked by a transactional approach, a victorious Trump will most likely demand a steep hike in military spending from Korea once again. He has long been opposed to stationing US troops in South Korea. During his former presidency, he had asked for a fivefold increase in defense spending from Korea to maintain US troops on Korean soil. At present, Korea's spending does not necessarily encompass the cost of drills and joint exercises conducted between the two countries. During Joe Biden’s tenure, the number of such joint military exercises has surged as a sign of a strengthened US-Korea alliance. Therefore, the financial burden on Korea might increase if Trump returns given the possibility that he will ask for Korea to cover the cost of such military operations as well.

Trump is committed to reversing Biden’s policies including the strengthened extended deterrence. During Biden’s administration, the US-Korea alliance has witnessed substantial progress as evidenced by the Washington Declaration and the subsequent launch of the nuclear consultative group (NCG). Trump’s re-election will pose a grave threat to those achievements. What is more concerning is Trump’s relatively favorable stance towards countries such as North Korea and Russia. Indeed, Kim Jong-un, the head of North Korea, had reportedly contacted Trump regarding the possibility of the country being formally recognized as a nuclear state. 

Further, Trump’s commitment to undo the previous administration’s policies will also have economic repercussions for Korea. Already, Trump, who has long been skeptical about the impact of climate change, had hinted at scrapping the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) launched by Biden. A significant number of Korean companies have made substantial investments, building factories and plants in the US to be eligible to receive subsidies for the production of electric vehicles (EVs). If Trump repels the act, this would raise the possibility of Korean companies not receiving any subsidies despite the heavy investments which will deal a huge blow to the Korean economy.

Overall, Trump’s potential return to the White House is likely to conflict with South Korea’s interests across military and economic fronts. To mitigate the negative impacts, Korea should prepare fully against all possibilities while reducing its reliance on the US. First and foremost, in the run-up to the November presidential election, Korea should strive to institutionalize the Washington Declaration and NCG and launch organizations backed by the US Congress, to make it difficult for the presidential office to undermine them. Indeed, Korea recently signed a framework agreement with the US to speed up the full implementation of the commitments delineated in the Washington Declaration. This is the right step and Korea should step up more efforts in this direction through November. At the same time, the Yoon administration needs to consider mending ties with neighboring countries including North Korea and China to mitigate its reliance on the US.

With the possibility of Trump’s return growing, Seoul’s astute foreign strategies are in demand more than ever. Therefore, policymakers and politicians should promptly map out specific measures to prepare for the gloomy scenario of Trump’s re-election. Indeed, heading into the general election in April, Korean citizens should critically assess and pay close attention to the candidates’ pledges and approaches regarding their foreign policy and military strategies before casting their votes.

[UNGP]

Therefore, the financial burden on Korea might increase if Trump returns given the possibility that he will ask for Korea to cover the cost of such military operations as well. > Given the possibility를 전후로 문장이 매끄럽게 읽히지 않았습니다. 2문장으로 나누면 어떨까 합니다. ask for 에서 for 이하로는 "요구하는 대상"이 아니라 "요구하는 내용"이 나오면 더 적절하지 싶습니다.

Ask for
If you ask for something, it means that you want someone to give you something:
They asked their boss for more money, but he refused.

nuclear consultative group > 고유명사라면 첫글자는 대문자로 써주면 좋을 듯 합니다.

[UNGP]

At the same time, the Yoon administration needs to consider mending ties with neighboring countries including North Korea and China to mitigate its reliance on the US.

>스쳐지나가는 문장이지만 주장하는 내용이 현 정세와 정반대여서 이에 대한 추가 설명이 한 두 문장 들어가거나 아니면 빼는 편이 좋을 것 같습니다.

나머지는 전부 잘 읽었습니다. 영어의 완성도가 굉장히 높은 글이라고 생각합니다. 수고하셨습니다!

[우지원]

정부의 역할 뿐만 아니라 시민들의 역할까지 언급하신 부분이 인상 깊었습니다. 주장을 잘 뒷받침해주는 근거들 덕분에 이해하기도 쉬웠습니다. 굳이 첨언하자면 intro에서 나토를 언급하시면서 다른 나라들도 fortify their military postures 한다고 하셨는데 이 부분이 conclusion에도 언급되면 더 좋을 거 같았습니다. 잘 읽었습니다! 고생하셨습니다!

[김정후]

1문단과 2문단을 합쳐 축약해주셔도 깔끔한 서론이 될 듯합니다. 3문단에서 트럼프의 무역 전략을 키워드로 잡아주신 점이 좋았습니다. 특히 확장 억제와 같은 시의성을 짚어주셔서 좋았는데요, 결론 부분에 한국 과의 관계를 조금 더 상술해주셔도 좋을 듯합니다. 탄탄한 논술이라 생각했습니다. 고생많으셨습니다!