Anchor: Donald Trump took office as president of the United States on Monday. In his inaugural address, Trump said the “golden age” of America begins right now and vowed to put America first during every single day of his presidency. With Trump already repealing prior U.S. commitments on Day 1, experts who spoke with KBS World Radio News expressed concerns that this could add uncertainty to the domestic political turmoil in South Korea. 
Kim Bum-soo has more.   
 
Report:
 
[Sound bite: U.S. presidential inauguration ceremony (Jan. 20/Capitol Rotunda, Washington)]
"I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President... "
 
Donald Trump was sworn in on Monday as the 47th president of the United States, returning to the White House four years after his first term ended.

Trump recited the oath of office at an inauguration ceremony inside the Capitol Rotunda in Washington. 
 
[Sound bite: US President Donald Trump]
“The golden age of America begins right now. From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer. During every single day of the Trump administration, I will very simply put America first.”
 
Trump has already begun a series of executive actions, pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate accords and going back on other commitments his predecessor made. 

He also signed a memorandum calling for a review of existing U.S. trade deals, possibly including the South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement.

Disagreements are already emerging between Seoul and Washington. 

[Sound bite: US President Donald Trump]
“I was very friendly with him. He liked me. I liked him. We got along very well. They thought that was a tremendous threat. Now, he is a nuclear power. We got along. I think he will be happy to see me coming back.”

Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump described North Korea as a nuclear state, a position the South Korean foreign ministry promptly rejected after Trump’s Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth made a similar remark earlier this month.

However, on the North Korea front, Wilson Center’s Korea center director, Troy Stangarone, said drastic changes are not immediately feasible for Trump.

[Sound bite: Troy Stangarone - Korea Center Dir., Wilson Center] 
“The question is, first: does Kim Jong-un even want to meet with Trump when he has a much better partner, at least right now, who is Vladimir Putin, who’s giving him weapons technology, who’s giving him an opportunity to earn revenue, who’s violating sanctions and who’s given him a defense treaty. I think it is a much different situation, and so, if Trump does engage, I think it is going to be on a smaller scale ...”

Experts say the real challenge for South Korea is that Trump’s return comes amid domestic turmoil in the aftermath of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed martial law attempt, his impeachment and the ongoing criminal investigation.

Other than that, political science professor Robert Kelly of Pusan National University says Trump is unlikely to make any new demands of Seoul. 

[Sound bite: Prof. Robert Kelly – Political Science, Pusan Nat’l University]
“Then again, it’s not clear to me that Trump has grown in the last seven years, that he’ll come to South Korea with any particular new or different demands. ... [H]ere’s where not having clear executive leadership in South Korea is a problem. Because somebody needs to engage Trump directly and tell him the things that he wants to hear, soothe his anxieties, tell him that he’s going to get what he wants, even if all that will be hashed out later at a lower level.”

Acting President Choi Sang-mok said Tuesday that he will soon seek a phone call with Trump. 

In a social media post, Choi said South Korea looks forward to Making the Alliance Great Again.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.