Various surveys indicate Donald Trump will win the next U.S. presidential election. Polls conducted by major U.S. media outlets such as The New York Times and NBC News predict Trump’s victory over his likely archrival President Joe Biden. Trump is now enjoying more than majority support from Republicans as the most promising presidential candidate for the November election.

Recently Trump drew attention by flamboyantly eulogizing his past "bromance” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. “After tough talk, then we fell in love,” he said in a campaign rally at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Dec. 2. This shows Trump’s expected win will possibly provide fresh momentum for a breakthrough in the stalled North Korea-U.S. relations.

Notwithstanding such an optimistic perspective, however, many skeptics are wary of the potential adverse impact his win could have on South Korea-U.S. alliance and bilateral trade relations. They fear Trump may prefer policies that will undermine the South’s interests mainly in security and economic terms.

For starters, during his stay in office, Trump labeled South Korea as a “free security rider.” To........

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