Korea-US summit expected to benefit leaders of two countries in elections

President Yoon Suk-yeol listens as his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden speaks during their visit to Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus in Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Courtesy of presidential office

Yoon, Biden expected to benefit from stronger alliance

By Nam Hyun-woo

The summit between South Korea and the U.S. may play a role in shaping positive public opinion for Presidents Yoon Suk-yeol and Joe Biden in elections that will be held in their two countries.

The two leaders will hold talks Saturday to reaffirm the allies' stronger commitment to partnerships in security and the economy. The Korea-U.S. summit will be held ahead of the June 1 local elections here in which mayors, governors, city council members and superintendents will be elected.

In that respect, the summit could play a role in boosting the ruling People Power Party (PPP).

South Koreans' awareness of national security is strengthening amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine and North Korea's escalating missile and nuclear weapons threats. Against this backdrop, the two leaders' strong message on the Seoul-Washington alliance will likely have a positive impact on voters, pundits said.

"Every summit between Seoul and Washington has been a plus for the ruling side, because all messages coming out of the talks are about strengthening bilateral ties and hopes of overcoming pending challenges," an official at the ruling party said. "This time, security concerns stemming from North Korea and Ukraine are also turning voter sentiment toward the ruling side."

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In 2018, then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in held a summit with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump in Washington, May 22, which this led to the historic U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore, June 12, a day before South Korea held local elections.

With photos of Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shaking hands covering the front pages of all newspapers, the then-ruling Democratic Party of Korea clinched a landslide victory, claiming 14 out of 17 provincial governor and metropolitan city mayor posts.

President Yoon Suk-yeol and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden listen to an engineer at Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus during their visit to the semiconductor plant in Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Yonhap

For President Biden, the summit is also a chance to resuscitate his faltering support rate before the U.S. midterm elections in November.

During his visit to Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus in Gyeonggi Province, Friday, Biden was briefed about the semiconductor manufacturing process by an American engineer from KLA, a U.S. semiconductor firm and supplier of Samsung.

Biden told the engineer, Peter: "You may live here, but don't forget to vote." It was interpreted as a remark referring to the U.S. midterm elections slated for Nov. 8, as Biden is paying greater attention to the elections despite being on his first trip to Asia as U.S. president.

Biden moved on to use his visit to the semiconductor plant as a moment for canvassing. During his speech at the plant, Biden made the case for how Samsung's investment in the U.S. will create American jobs, as well as stressing foreign companies' partnerships with "our most highly skilled and dedicated and engaged workers you can find anywhere in the world: American union members."

Biden's remarks were seen as an effort to find a rebound from a deepening pessimism about his presidency and the Democratic Party. According to a poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Research announced hours after Biden's speech, only 39 percent of U.S. adults approve of his performance as president, the lowest level in his presidency so far.

Against this backdrop, Biden is anticipated to continue stressing that promoting business cooperation among like-minded countries will result in foreign companies' greater investment into the U.S. thereby creating jobs and benefiting American workers, during his stay in South Korea.

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