Seoul, South Korea
CNN
—

As countries around the world prepare for a second Trump presidency, one world leader is crafting a carefully calibrated diplomatic strategy.

In South Korea, President Yoon Suk Yeol “recently took up golf again for the first time in eight years, in preparation for ‘golf diplomacy’ with President-elect Trump,” the presidential office told CNN on Tuesday .

He said Yoon did so “following the advice of those around him,” but declined to say when the president played golf.

Since Donald Trump won back the White House last week, he has maintained a frenetic schedule as world leaders call each other to congratulate and woo the new US leader, with analysts scrutinizing who will win a first meeting.

And golf has long proven to be a reliable route to Trump. After all, it is the profit engine of his business empire; its golf courses and associated businesses bring in hundreds of millions of dollars, according to a CNN investigation in 2018.

Asset visited more golf courses than any recent president during his first year in office in 2017, spending weekends at his properties in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia, sometimes taking lawmakers or business leaders with him.

The late Japanese leader Shinzo Abe presented gold-plated golf clubs to a newly elected Trump during a visit to his Manhattan tower in November 2016. The two leaders also played golf together in Florida and Japan.

During his last presidency, Trump met several times with then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in and held difficult talks with him. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un – meet him in a series of unprecedented heightsand boasting that both had fell “in love”.

At the time, golf also featured in bilateral relations. During a visit in 2017 In South Korea, Trump told local lawmakers that “Korean golfers are some of the best in the world.” He praised Korea’s affinity for golfnoting that “eight of the top 10 players were from Korea and the top four golfers – one, two, three, four – the top four were from Korea.”

But Trump will return to a very different picture on the Korean peninsula.

The United States and its allies are increasingly concerned about Kim and the threat posed by his regime, particularly after the failure of negotiations Trump held during his last presidency without a deal, representing a major snub for the North Korean leader.

And in South Korea, Yoon’s conservative government – ​​which takes office in 2022 – has become a strong partner with the United States in strengthening deterrence against North Korea, meaning it is unlikely that he is encouraging Trump to meet with Kim without a clear path to Pyongyang’s denuclearization.

Meanwhile, relations between North Korea and Russia have grown. Pyongyang has reportedly sent thousands of troops and tons of munitions to Russia as Moscow wages war against Ukraine, in what Western leaders see as a major escalation.

Another potential headache for Yoon once Trump is in office is the future of the 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea.

Supporters argue that a significant U.S. military presence on the Korean Peninsula is crucial to strengthening the alliance between the two countries. These troops serve both to deter any potential attacks from North Korea and to counter aggression from China.

But Trump, who has long viewed Washington’s obligations in more transactional terms, has repeatedly said he does not believe South Korea is paying enough for those troops.

Before Trump’s victory, the two countries reached an agreement last month new interim five-year cost-sharing agreement for U.S. forces based in South Korea, as part of a deal to safeguard the longstanding alliance ahead of the U.S. election.