Discussions about South Korea’s human rights policy typically focus on North Korea. However, both internal and external changes are forcing the South Korean government to reconsider its human rights diplomacy toward countries around the globe. 

On the domestic front, a 2020 survey by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies found that 66.3% of South Koreans at the time wanted the U.S.-ROK alliance to be based on human rights and democratic ideals rather than confronting North Korea, up from 51.2% in 2016.  

Externally, South Korea is stuck in the middle of the U.S. and China, a competition where human rights are