SEOUL, Nov 6, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol on
Wednesday congratulated Donald Trump, who claimed victory in the US
presidential election, saying he hoped the security allies could work more
closely in future.

"Under your strong leadership, the future of the ROK-U.S. alliance and
America will shine brighter. Look forward to working closely with you," Yoon
posted on X, referring to South Korea by its official acronym.

Results put Trump on the verge of beating Democrat Kamala Harris in a
stunning White House comeback.

Since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's second summit with Trump during his
first presidency collapsed in Hanoi in 2019, Pyongyang has abandoned
diplomacy, doubling down on weapons development and rejecting Washington's
offers of talks.

Compared to his dovish predecessor Moon Jae-in, Yoon has taken a tough line
with the nuclear-armed North while improving ties with security ally
Washington.

The United States said last week that up to 8,000 North Korean troops have
reached Russia's border region with Ukraine trained and ready for combat, as
Pyongyang's firing of a long-range missile ramped up tensions days before the
US election.

North Korea in July said it was "fully ready for all-out confrontation with
the US", responding to comments by Trump at the time, touting his ties to
Kim.

Trump said "I think he misses me" and it's "nice to get along with somebody
that has a lot of nuclear weapons."

While in office Trump met with Kim three times, beginning with a landmark
summit in Singapore in June 2018, but the pair failed to make much progress
on efforts to denuclearise the North.

A few months after Singapore, Trump famously told a rally of his supporters
that the two men had fallen "in love".

But their second summit in Hanoi collapsed in 2019, over sanctions relief and
what Pyongyang would be willing to give up in return.

In a commentary released in July, North Korea said while it was true Trump
tried to reflect the "special personal relations" between the heads of
states, the former US president "did not bring about any substantial positive
change".

"Even if any administration takes office in the US, the political climate,
which is confused by the infighting of the two parties, does not change and,
accordingly, we do not care about this," it added.