South Korea worries US will sideline Seoul for a deal with North Korea

South Korea fears being sidelined as the United States reaches out to North Korea for potential diplomatic talks, while tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang hit a hostile peak. Last month, a landmine explosion on the border injured three South Korean soldiers, an incident Seoul blames on the North while Pyongyang denies it.

Escalation and Alliances

North Korea has responded with multiple weapons tests, a military drone exhibition, border artillery positioning, and propaganda loudspeakers. On Thursday, Pyongyang fired about ten short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan just before German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited South Korea. Meanwhile, South Korean politicians worry that US President Donald Trump might bypass Seoul to make a deal with Kim Jong Un, potentially leaving South Korea exposed to the North's nuclear arsenal or even recognizing Pyongyang as a nuclear power.

Expert Warnings

Former politician Kim Sang-woo warned of a trust deficit and lost access to White House decision-makers, pointing out that Trump is eager for a meeting due to a personal quest for a Nobel Peace Prize. Professor Lim Eun-jung from Kongju National University added that a deal leaving North Korea with short-range missiles targeting South Korea and Japan could force Seoul to consider building its own nuclear deterrent.

Context

Diplomatic outreach between the United States and North Korea carries a long history of sudden high-level summits that often bypass regional allies. These shifts create deep anxiety in Seoul because South Korea relies directly on US security guarantees to maintain a military balance on the peninsula.