Diplomatic-Pragmatic Korea and Northeast Asia
The de-escalation in tensions between Japan and South Korea in 2020 has refocused the attention on economic cooperation. Even when the issue of travel restrictions was rebuffed by bilateral economic initiatives, bilateral cooperation continued or grew.
Brown (2013) was the first to identify pragmatic resistance among L2 Korean learners. His research found that a myriad of factors such as personal beliefs and identity can influence a student's practical decisions.
The role of pragmatism is South Korea's foreign policies
In a time of flux and change, South Korea's foreign policy must be bold and clear. It must be prepared to take a stand on the principle of equality and work towards achieving global public goods, like climate change, sustainable development, and maritime security. It must also have the capacity to demonstrate its global influence through tangible benefits. It must, however, do so without compromising the stability of its economy.
This is a challenging task. South Korea's foreign policy is restricted by domestic politics. It is essential that the government of the country manages these domestic constraints to promote public trust in the direction and accountability of foreign policy. This isn't easy because the structures sustaining foreign policy formation are a complex and varied. This article examines the difficulties of overcoming these constraints domestically to project a cohesive foreign policy.
South Korea will likely benefit from the current government's emphasis on pragmatic cooperation with allies and partners who have similar values. This approach can help counter progressive attacks against GPS' values-based foundation and allow Seoul to work with non-democratic countries. It could also help strengthen its relationship with the United States, which remains an essential partner in advancing the liberal democratic world order.
Another challenge facing Seoul is to improve its relationship with China as the country's biggest trading partner. The Yoon administration has made significant progress in establishing multilateral security structures such as the Quad. However it must be mindful of the need to maintain economic relations with Beijing.
While long-time observers of Korean politics have pointed to regionalism and ideology as the main drivers of the political debate, younger voters are less influenced by this perspective. This generation is a more diverse worldview, and its worldview and values are evolving. This is evident by the recent rise of Kpop and the increasing global appeal of its culture exports. It's too early to know if these trends will impact the future of South Korea's foreign policy. However they are something worth watching closely.
South Korea's diplomatic and pragmatic approach to North Korea
South Korea faces a delicate balance between the need to face threats from rogue states and the desire to avoid being entangled into power games among its big neighbors. It also has to consider the trade-offs that are made between values and interests, particularly when it comes to helping non-democratic countries and engaging with human rights activists. In this regard the Yoon administration's diplomatic-pragmatic attitude towards North Korea is a significant contrast to previous governments.
As one of the most active pivotal nations in the world, South Korea needs to participate in multilateral engagements as a means of positioning its self within global and regional security networks. In its first two years the Yoon Administration has actively strengthened bilateral ties and expanded participation in minilaterals and multilateral forums. These initiatives include the first Korea-Pacific Islands Summit, and the second Asia-Pacific Summit for Democracy.
These efforts could appear to be small steps, but they have positioned Seoul to leverage its newfound alliances to advance its views on global and regional issues. The 2023 Summit for Democracy, for instance, highlighted the importance and necessity of democratic reform and practice to tackle issues like digital transformation, corruption, and transparency. The summit announced $100 million in development cooperation projects that will help support democracy, including anti-corruption and the e-governance effort.
The Yoon government has also actively engaged with countries and organisations that share the same values and priorites to support its vision for a global network of security. These countries and organizations include the United States, Japan, China as well as the European Union, ASEAN members and Pacific Island nations. Progressives might have criticized these actions as lacking values and pragmatism, but they can assist South Korea develop a more robust toolkit to deal with rogue countries such as North Korea.
However, GPS' emphasis on values could put Seoul in a difficult position when it comes to balancing values and interests. The government's concern for human rights and its refusal to deport North Koreans convicted of committing crimes could lead it, 프라그마틱 무료체험 메타 for example to prioritize policies that are not democratic in Korea. This is particularly true if the government faces a situation similar to that of Kwon Pong, who was a Chinese advocate who sought asylum in South Korea.
South Korea's trilateral cooperation with Japan
In the midst of rising global uncertainty and a fragile world economy, trilateral cooperation between South Korea, Japan, and China is an optimistic signpost for Northeast Asia. While the three countries share a security interest in the nuclear threat posed by North Korea, they also have a strong economic stake in creating secure and safe supply chains and expanding trade opportunities. The resumption of their highest-level annual meeting is a clear indication that the three neighbors are keen to promote closer economic integration and cooperation.
However, the future of their alliance will be questioned by a variety of issues. The most pressing issue is the issue of how to deal with the issue of human rights violations allegedly committed by the Japanese and Korean militaries in their respective colonies. The three leaders agreed they will work together to solve the issues and establish an inter-governmental system to prevent and punish abuses of human rights.
A third challenge is to find a compromise between the competing interests of three countries of East Asia. This is especially important in ensuring stability in the region and dealing with China's growing influence. In the past, trilateral security cooperation has often been hindered by disagreements over historical and territorial issues. Despite the recent evidence of stability in the pragmatics, these disputes remain latent.
The meeting was briefly overshadowed by, for example, North Korea's announcement that it would launch a satellite at the summit, as well as Japan's decision that was met with protests by Beijing, to extend its military exercises with South Korea and the U.S.
The current situation provides an chance to rejuvenate the trilateral relationship, however it will require the initiative and reciprocity of President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida to make it a reality. If they fail to do so, the current era of trilateral cooperation will only be a brief respite from the otherwise turbulent future. In the long term in the event that the current pattern continues the three countries will end up at odds over their mutual security interests. In such a scenario, the only way for the trilateral relationship to endure is if each of the countries can overcome its own domestic barriers to peace and prosperity.
South Korea's trilateral co-operation with China
The Ninth China, Japan, and Korea Trilateral Summit concluded this week with the leaders of South Korea and Japan signing a number tangible and significant outcomes. They include a Joint Declaration of the Summit as well as a statement on Future Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response as well as a Joint Vision on Trilateral Intellectual Property Cooperation. These documents are notable for laying out ambitious goals that, in some cases are in opposition to Seoul and Tokyo's cooperation with the United States.
The goal is to strengthen the framework for multilateral cooperation that will benefit all three countries. The projects will include low-carbon transformations, innovative technologies for a aging population, and collective responses to global challenges like climate change as well as food security and epidemics. It would also concentrate on enhancing people-to-people interactions and the establishment of a trilateral innovation cooperation center.
These efforts will also increase stability in the area. It is essential that South Korea maintains a positive relationship with both China and Japan particularly when faced by regional issues such as North Korean provocation, escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait, and Sino-American rivalry. A deteriorating relationship with one of these countries could result in instability in the other that could adversely impact trilateral collaboration with both.
It is important, however, that the Korean government makes an explicit distinction between bilateral and trilateral engagement with one or the other of these countries. A clear separation will help minimize the negative impact that a strained relationship between China and Japan could affect trilateral relations.
China is primarily seeking to build support among Seoul and Tokyo against possible protectionist policies under the upcoming U.S. administration. China's focus on economic cooperation particularly through the resumption of negotiations for a China-Japan-Korea FTA and an agreement on trade in services markets, reflects this aim. Moreover, Beijing is likely hoping to stop security cooperation with the United States from undermining the importance of its own trilateral military and economic ties with these East Asian allies. Thus, this is a tactical move to combat the growing threat of U.S. protectionism and establish a platform for countering it with other powers.