Trump 2.0: What the return of Trump means for Korean Peninsula

On the security front.

The incoming Trump administration is expected to call on South Korea to shoulder a greater burden of the cost of maintaining U.S. soldiers here in the country.

Our foreign affairs correspondent Bae Eun-ji reports.

Trump's approach to foreign policy is largely focused on the idea of putting "America First."

To do this, he's appointed 'hardliners' to help him shape foreign policy in the new administration including Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio, who's taken hard line positions against China and North Korea.

At his Senate confirmation hearing last week, Rubio emphasized that placing the interest of America above all else has never been more necessary than it is now.

"Placing our core national interest above all else is not isolationism. It is the common sense realization that our foreign that a foreign policy centered on our national interest is not some outdated relic."

The "America First" policy has led to the biggest problem that South Korea is facing --that Trump could renegotiate the deal on sharing the costs needed for American troops in Korea.

During his campaign, Trump said if he was at the White House, South Korea would be paying the United States 10 billion dollars a year, calling South Korea a "money machine."

"So it is pretty clear that after he return to the White House, he will make a relationship based on the cost-benefit calculation especially for South Korea. Trump already mentioned several times that he is increasing the cost sharing for South Korea. So it's gonna be a rather daunting challenge for South Korean security and in terms of relationship between these two countries."

With regard to relations with North Korea, there is a possibility that Trump might pursue nuclear talks with Kim Jong-un.

During his first term, Trump held three summits with Kim, but the talks ended without any breakthroughs.

Then on the campaign trail, Trump claimed that Kim "misses" him implying that the regime would not be acting up, once he returns to office.

"Look, I had a very good relationship with President Xi. and a very good relationship with Putin and a very good relationship with Kim Jong-un, who has a nuclear force that you won't even believe."

Trump recently named a close aide, Richard Grenell, as his presidential envoy for special missions and Alex Wong, who handled negotiations with North Korea during Trump's first term in office, as deputy national security adviser.

South Korea's intelligence agency now believes that Trump's recent appointments of top aides on North Korean issues further indicate a willingness to explore diplomatic talks.

It recently assessed that if the Trump administration comes to a conclusion that complete denuclearization of North Korea is impossible in the near future, it could seek to take actions in the form of a "small deal," such as nuclear disarmament or arms reduction.

With less than a day left until Trump's inauguration, eyes are now on how his America First agenda will reshape international politics, as critics say his foreign policy could dismantle democratic norms and a decades-old international order.

Bae Eun-ji, Arirang News.