There is growing concern in South Korea that US President Donald Trump intends to bypass Seoul and reach out unilaterally to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in a similar fashion to the US leader's actions during his first administration.

South Korea was quietly alarmed during Trump's first term when he held three rounds of talks with Kim, exchanged 27 "love letters" and, in June 2018, unexpectedly announced the complete suspension of joint US-South Korean military exercises during a summit in Singapore.

"He wrote me beautiful letters, and they're great letters," Trump said in September 2018. "We fell in love."

Shortly after being inaugurated for a second term, Trump told a Fox News interview on January 23 that he would be willing to reach out to Kim, saying they both "got along," while calling the North Korean dictator a "smart guy."

Although the Trump administration has not yet outlined any specific policy proposals on North Korea, there is once again alarm in Seoul that the US president might make another unilateral concession or a deal that benefits the US but not its regional allies.

After Trump's Fox interview, Lee Jae-Myung, the head of the opposition Democratic Party, said bilateral US-North Korea talks without Seoul's input could imperil the South.

"If US-North Korean dialogue resumes, there is a high possibility that our Republic of Korea will be sidelined and this is a significant concern," Lee told a press conference in Seoul.

"We cannot make hasty assumptions about how the new........

© Deutsche Welle