A Global Pivotal State for Freedom, Peace, and Prosperity

An Evaluation of the Yoon Suk Yeol Government’s First 100 Days and Its Tasks / Foreign Affairs, Security, and Unification

August 17 marks the 100th day since the launch of the Yoon Suk Yeol government. Normally, during the first 100 days of a new administration, most of the time is spent on organizational restructuring, personnel appointments, and policy design. Even so, this period is highly important because it serves as the rudder for the full five-year term. Let us review what the Yoon Suk Yeol government has done over the past 100 days in the areas of foreign affairs, security, and unification.

First, the Yoon government presented “values diplomacy” as the guiding principle of its foreign policy. This can be seen as the diplomatic projection of the national goal announced by the 20th Presidential Transition Committee: to become a “global pivotal state contributing to freedom, peace, and prosperity.”

At the May 20–21 Korea-U.S. summit, President Yoon shared with U.S. President Biden his governing philosophy centered on universal values such as “liberal democracy and human rights,” along with his conviction that these values must be protected and advanced. He also expressed his intention to work actively with the United States in pursuing “values diplomacy” befitting Korea’s national stature.

The greatest achievement of the Korea-U.S. summit was the restoration and strengthening of the Korea-U.S. alliance, which had been strained during the five years of the Moon Jae-in government by policies such as “North Korea First,” the end-of-war declaration, and the “Three No’s” pledge on THAAD.

The two countries agreed to expand the scope of the alliance beyond a traditional security alliance to include a values alliance, an economic and technological alliance, and furthermore a global strategic alliance. In doing so, they created momentum to deepen the breadth and depth of Korea-U.S. cooperation across all areas.

Agreement with the United States to expand the alliance in security, values, economic technology, and global strategy

The Yoon government has demonstrated its intention to participate actively in the formation of a new international security order at a time when uncertainty and fluidity in the international community are growing due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the advent of a new Cold War.

In this regard, on June 29 President Yoon became the first Korean president to attend a NATO summit. There, he emphasized that Korea would assume a greater role and responsibility in the political and military spheres, while also urging the participating leaders to continue cooperating to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. In particular, he mentioned economic security and cybersecurity and expressed an active stance by stating that he “looks forward to close cooperation with NATO allies.”

Today, the international community, prompted by the COVID-19 crisis and the climate crisis, has recognized the risks of excessive dependence on China for goods critical to the economy and security, and is focusing on restructuring supply chains to reduce reliance on China. In line with this international trend, the Yoon government has also announced plans to pursue proactive economic security and science and technology diplomacy.

Specifically, it has begun efforts to participate in international cooperation to build resilient supply chains for semiconductors and batteries, expand cooperation on nuclear power plant exports and small modular reactors (SMRs), broaden science and technology cooperation with the United States and others in areas such as space, and strengthen tailored defense export diplomacy by region and country.

Throughout the Moon Jae-in government’s term, Korea-Japan relations deteriorated sharply over historical issues, including compensation for Koreans forcibly mobilized during Japan’s colonial rule.

The Yoon government is avoiding the Moon administration’s fundamentalist approach of subordinating everything to historical issues, and is instead showing a “pragmatic” attitude by dealing with pending issues on an issue-by-issue basis, including security (North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats), economic exchange, historical issues, and territorial disputes.

President Yoon also made diplomatic efforts to create an atmosphere conducive to resuming dialogue between the two countries, using occasions such as the NATO summit and the funeral of former Prime Minister Abe.

In addition, in its July 21 policy briefing to the president, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented the following diplomatic policy tasks: ▲building region-specific cooperation networks ▲strengthening ODA and digital public diplomacy ▲reinforcing the global Korean network ▲winning the bid to host the 2030 Busan World Expo.

At the outset of its launch, the security reality facing the Yoon government was extremely grave. First, North Korea’s enhanced capability for nuclear attack and its threats of nuclear use had become a reality, and China’s nuclear forces had come to possess the ability to carry out nuclear retaliation against the United States. As a result, the Korea-U.S. commitment to “extended deterrence,” which provides nuclear defense, emerged as an urgent task.

Accordingly, at the summit the two countries reaffirmed the United States’ firm defense commitment to Korea, declaring that all defense capabilities—including nuclear, conventional, and missile defense assets—would be used as means of extended deterrence to respond to North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile threats.

The two leaders also agreed to seek the timely deployment of U.S. strategic assets and, if necessary, additional measures, while initiating consultations on expanding combined exercises that had previously been suspended or scaled down.

Afterward, the normalization of Korea-U.S. combined exercises proceeded one after another across the army, navy, and air force. From July 11 to 14, the two countries conducted a combined air force flying exercise; from July 15 to 18, a science and technology-based combined infantry combat exercise; and from July 19 to 22, a Korea-U.S. Marine Corps combined exercise (KMEP) based on a scenario of supplying materiel to the front using air assets in the event of an emergency.

Meanwhile, on July 29, the Korean and U.S. defense ministers decided to conduct a combined exercise (Ulchi Freedom Shield) in late August. This exercise introduced the concept of total national war. Korea’s military authorities reportedly plan to use the exercise to rehearse the full process from a rapid transition to a wartime system to repelling a North Korean attack and carrying out counteroffensive operations.

In addition, the two sides decided to resume large-scale field training exercises starting in 2023 and to further strengthen and conduct the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Exercise (TTX). These measures signify an upgrade in Korea-U.S. security cooperation—particularly the security posture against North Korea’s nuclear threat—commensurate with the advancement of North Korea’s nuclear capabilities.

In addition, in its July 22 policy briefing to the president, the Ministry of National Defense presented the following policy tasks: ▲early deployment of the “Korean-style Iron Dome” ▲accelerating the expansion of the Korean three-axis system to respond to North Korean threats ▲fully activating pilot units for manned-unmanned integrated systems ▲establishing a “National Defense AI Center.”

Throughout its five years in office, the Moon Jae-in government consistently adhered to a “North Korea-obsessed” policy and a low-profile posture toward Pyongyang. Yet by the end of its term, North Korea’s provocations and threats had overshadowed the three inter-Korean summits. In response, the Yoon government has presented as its unification vision the “pursuit of peaceful unification based on the free democratic basic order” and “a Korean Peninsula of denuclearization, peace, and prosperity.”

To this end, it has expressed its intention to pursue flexible and pragmatic policies while remaining grounded in principles—namely liberal democracy and human rights. In this regard, Minister of Unification Kwon Youngse stated that, from the standpoint of “continuing the relay,” the new government would constructively carry forward those parts in which the previous government had achieved results, while also preparing an “audacious plan” should North Korea respond by giving up its nuclear weapons.

On the other hand, he also made clear that if North Korea conducts a seventh nuclear test, Korea will pursue unilateral sanctions in cooperation with the United States, Japan, and the EU.

In addition, in its July 22 policy briefing to the president, the Ministry of Unification presented five core tasks: creating a virtuous cycle of North Korean denuclearization and trust-building, normalizing inter-Korean relations based on mutual respect, promoting North Korean human rights and easing the suffering caused by division, restoring national homogeneity, and making substantive preparations for unification. It also proposed detailed policy tasks including ▲humanitarian cooperation ▲pursuing a Green Detente ▲forming a public consensus with citizen participation ▲constructively inheriting and developing the “National Community Unification Formula.”

While pursuing a pragmatic policy toward North Korea, the Yoon government is also showing strong determination to normalize the North Korean Human Rights Act as part of its commitment to respecting universal values. As part of that effort, on July 20, 2022, President Yoon appointed Professor Lee Sinhwa of Korea University as Ambassador for International Cooperation on North Korean Human Rights, a position that had been vacant since 2017.

The Ministry of Unification is making multifaceted efforts, in close cooperation with the National Assembly, to launch the North Korean Human Rights Foundation at an early date. In addition, the Yoon government’s firm position is that it will ensure measures to prevent recurrence and provide remedies to victims through a thorough investigation into the forced repatriation of North Korean fishermen who had defected and the fatal shooting of a Korean civil servant in the West Sea, both of which occurred under the Moon Jae-in government.

Overall, Yoon Suk Yeol’s foreign affairs, security, and unification policies have been well designed. Going forward, what is needed is the setting of priorities and strategic implementation in light of feasibility and domestic and international conditions.

Seongho Je, Editorial Board Member of Future Korea and Professor at Chung-Ang University Law School

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Original title: 자유·평화·번영 글로벌 중추 국가로

Author: Seong-ho Je

Date: 2022-08-23

Source: https://www.cfe.org/bbs/bbsDetail.php?cid=press&idx=24921