Cho Hyun-dong, Korean ambassador to the United States, speaks during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

Whoever becomes the next U.S. president will not affect the robust Seoul-Washington alliance, Korean Ambassador to the United States Cho Hyun-dong said Thursday, amid concerns that the possible return of former U.S. President Donald Trump could potentially make bilateral relations unpredictable once more.

The comments came as interest is growing regarding the looming U.S. presidential election rematch between President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, slated for November.

Cho noted that variables such as swing states and the sentiment of moderate voters and third-party candidates are likely to determine the ultimate direction of the election, but "one thing is clear: The level of the Korea-U.S. alliance is incredibly strong, unmatched compared to previous times."

"There will not be a drastic change in relations after the elections. I have met many members of U.S. Congress and think tank figures, and regardless of their political inclinations, they all expressed expectations about the future of the Korea-U.S. alliance," Cho said during a press briefing in Seoul.

The envoy also elaborated that bilateral relations between Seoul and Washington have now become institutionalized through high-level exchanges, security cooperation mechanisms such as the Nuclear Cooperation Group and collaboration in economic, scientific and technological domains.

Officials in Korea have been closely monitoring the U.S. election as the potential return of Trump to the White House could significantly impact the trajectory of bilateral relations with Washington, which have been bolstered under Biden.

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump walks with his attorney Todd Blanche, right, to attend his criminal trial over charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, at Manhattan state court in New York, Tuesday. AP-Yonhap

A senior foreign ministry official stated that Korea is taking a "discreet approach" to the U.S. elections, considering that the Biden administration is still in power.

"There were media reports that some neighboring countries to the U.S. formed government-led teams in preparation for a potential return of Trump, but the response from senior U.S. officials was, understandably, not positive. We are approaching this matter with a sense of balance and sensitivity," the official said.

It is said that Korean officials are cautiously engaging with Trump's officials.

"The so-called figures close to Trump that I've met have agreed on the importance of the Korea-U.S. alliance and Washington's commitment to uphold its promises," the ministry official said.

Earlier this week, the Korean and U.S. governments initiated negotiations for the 12th Special Measures Agreement (SMA), which will determine the amount Korea should pay for stationing 28,500 U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) troops from 2026 onwards.

The earlier-than-usual launch of discussions was widely speculated as being carried out in anticipation of Trump's potential return to office. During his term, the former president openly expressed skepticism toward USFK and insisted on drastically increasing Seoul's share of defense cost-sharing.

Despite the early start to negotiations, some observers were skeptical that Korea may not be able to achieve a desirable outcome in SMA because if Trump returns to power, he may nullify the agreement.

The ministry official stated that the early launch of SMA talks was mutually agreed upon by the two nations.

However, he refrained from directly addressing a scenario where Trump could overturn the defense cost-sharing deal, saying, "Former President Trump has made various comments, but to my knowledge, he has never fundamentally undermined the Korea-U.S. alliance."