Controversy over Trump's plan to visit the Korean demilitarized zone

Many fear that President Trump's visit to the North-South Korean border during his trip to Asia next month will increase regional tensions.

South Korean flags hang on a barbed wire fence separating the two Koreas near the demilitarized zone. Photo: Reuters.

As President Donald Trump prepares for his November trip to Asia, the White House is grappling with the possibility of the commander-in-chief visiting the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.according toWashington Post.

The presence of the US President at the Korean-North Korean border, in addition to affirming the alliance between Seoul and Washington, also sends a strong political message and is a show of force to counter the constant threat from Pyongyang..

The international community is familiar with the image of the US commander in chief wearing a bomber jacket standing on an observation post at the 38th parallel, among a crowd of soldiers, looking across the border through binoculars.Since the time of the late President Ronald Reagan, no US president has skipped a visit to the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas when traveling to Asia.

However, sources close to the White House and the President's aides said that Mr. Trump's presence at theThe demilitarized zone threatens to further escalate already high tensions on the Korean peninsula, with some even worried aboutPresidential Securityincurrent situation

US Vice President Mike Pence visits the inter-Korean demilitarized zone on April 17. Source: CNN.

"I haven't heard anything about North Korea's provocations, but we'll certainly look at it," President Trump said at a press conference last week when reporters asked about his trip to Asia scheduled from November 3 to November 14.

The US president has made several tough, and some analysts say provocative, statements in response to Pyongyang's missile launches and nuclear tests. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly last month, Trump called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a "rocket man" on a "suicide mission" and threatened to "totally destroy" him.North Korea if necessary.

In response, North Korea threatened to test a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean.stressed that Pyongyang will not tolerate US "hostility".

Observers say that even if the US President does not visit the inter-Korean demilitarized zone, he still has many other ways toshow deterrence towards Pyongyangon this Asian tour.

Although the White House has not announced a detailed schedule, according to the preliminary plan, President Trump will visit the Pearl Harbor military base in Hawaii before flying to Asia. In Tokyo, Mr. Trump is expected to meet the girl's parents.Japan was kidnapped by North Korean spies 40 years ago. Meanwhile, in Seoul, the US President will address the South Korean parliament.

However, many foreign policy experts in the Asia region under former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush said that if Mr. Trump did not visit the inter-Korean demilitarized zone, it would be a mistake.

Evan Medeiros, a former senior Asia adviser on the National Security Council under Obama, said Trump “needs to be clear” about the US position in the region and that the cost of not visiting the DMZ could be greater than the risk of going there.

In the view of many senior US officials, Mr. Trump's visit to the demilitarized zone will send a strong message, not only to US and South Korean soldiers on duty in the border area but also to Pyongyang, that the US remains committed to supporting the armistice agreement between the two countries.The Korean War came into effect in 1953.

Daniel Russel, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs under former President Obama, comparedThe military aircraft acted as "a sound amplifier" that made "every message delivered here more powerful and strong".

So it is no surprise that every US president since President Reagan's trip in 1983, except former President George Bush Sr., has decided to set foot in the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas.

President Obama stands at the Ouellette Observatory in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea in 2012. Photo: AP.

Obama's visits in 2012 and Bill Clinton's in 1993 were both greeted with enthusiasm and excitement in Seoul. This year, however, the situation has changed.

When the White House mentioned Mr. Trump's visit to the demilitarized zone, the administration of South Korean President Moon Jae-in immediately voiced its objections due to concerns that the US President would "misspoke" and spark a new war of words with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

President Moon's advisers said the visit would increase the risk of missteps that could lead to military clashes and other undesirable consequences such as negatively affecting Asian financial markets or disrupting the Winter Olympics held in South Korea.

Although they believe that President Trump's aides can design a symbolic visit without directly provoking Pyongyang, experts still admit that in front of the press, Mr. Trump could "slip up and say the wrong thing."

"We have never had a president visit this DMZ and imply that the United States is ready for a preemptive war against North Korea,"Michael Green, senior adviser for Asia on the National Security Council under former President George W. Bush, said.

According to VNE