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OPINION — On June 3rd South Korea turned the page and is embarked on a journey of peace and prosperity. Lee Jae-Myung handily won the presidential election, succeeding a disgraced Yoon Suk-Yeol who failed in his attempt to impose martial law on South Korea, a vibrant democracy.
Mr. Lee’s June 4th acceptance speech focused on reviving South Korea’s ailing economy, while mindful of security, peace and democracy. He emphasized: “Reinforcing the Korea-U.S. alliance, strengthening trilateral cooperation with the U.S. and Japan and approaching relations with neighboring countries through the lens of practicality and national interest.”
Mr. Lee also spoke about the importance of inter-Korean dialogue and the provision of humanitarian assistance to North Korea and economic cooperation, with the goal of peaceful Korean unification.
The transition from a conservative to a relatively liberal administration comes at a pivotal time for South Korea and others in the region. China is South Korea’s leading trading partner, with over 26% of Korea’s exports going to China and over 21% of imports coming from China. The U.S. is a distant second major trading partner with South Korea, with exports to the U.S. at about 18%. But it’s more than trade – and tariffs – that truly reflects U.S. – South Korea relations.
It goes back to the Korean War and the tens of thousands of U.S. and South Korean casualties and the 1953 Armistice Agreement that brought an end to the fighting and the subsequent Mutual Defense Treaty between our two countries. Currently, there are over 28,000 U.S. troops in South Korea with the U.S. Forces in Korea Command – one of three commands, in addition to the Joint and United Nations Commands, established after the Korean War. Indeed, it’s the U.S. military presence that serves as the trip wire that deters North Korea from provoking or invading South Korea.
Mr. Lee also noted in his acceptance speech that South Korea: “Will expand Korea’s diplomatic reach, raise our international stature and enlarge our economic territory.”
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The U.S. has made it abundantly clear that the U.S. is pivoting to the Indo-Pacific region. Secretary of Defense Petee Hegseth at the recent Shangri-la Defense Forum said: “We will not be pushed out of this critical region … and we will not let our allies and partners be subordinated and intimidated … China seeks to become a hegemonic power in Asia and It hopes to dominate and control too many parts of this vibrant and vital region … China’s behavior towards its neighbors and the world is a wake-up call… an urgent one.”
Mr. Hegseth went on to criticize China for its actions to change the status quo in the South China Sea and the First Island Chain by force or coercion and its military harassment of Taiwan. These were powerful statements. China responded, accusing Mr. Hegseth of fomenting a Cold War environment.
Mr. Lee has appointed many smart, experienced members to his Cabinet. They certainly will help him navigate relations with the U.S. and China. Indeed, it should be clear, since the Korean War, that South Korea’s true ally is the U.S. While South Korea’s relations with China are important, for trade and other reasons, it’s the U.S. that will always be there for South Korea, with our Mutual Defense Treaty and U.S. Forces Command with over 28,000 troops in country.
No doubt, the Korean people remember China’s reaction to the THAAD 2016 deployment, and the punitive economic measures taken by Beijing to economically punish South Korea. So yes, China has the economic tools to make life difficult for South Korea, but the U.S., as South Korea’s second largest trading partner and national security ally, will always be there for South Korea. It’s equally important that South Korea not be shy in stating that they are with the U.S. in the South China Sea, Taiwan and the whole of the Indo-Pacific region.
And Mr. Lee’s efforts to reinstate an inter-Korean dialogue should be applauded. After four years of literally no contact with North Korea, while they built more nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles and signed a Mutual Defense Treaty with Russia, while militarily supporting Russia’s war with Ukraine, it’s time for a new approach to North Korea. Hopefully, that would include the Donald Trump Administration also reaching out to Kim Jong-Un with some creative initiatives to get North Korea to at a minimum cease producing fissile material for nuclear weapons, in return for a dialogue on sanctions relief and a path to normalization of relations.
These are just a few of the issues the new Lee Administration will be confronting. We wish him great success.
This column by Cipher Brief Expert Ambassador Joseph DeTrani was first published in The Washington Times
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