South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol wasted little time at the recent NATO Summit in Madrid, holding 10 bilateral and three multilateral summits with some of the world’s most powerful leaders.

But while Yoon left Spain jubilant after strengthening economic and security ties with Western partners, there’s still a lot of work to be done on issues closer to home.

A much-heralded meeting with Japan and the U.S. produced few tangible results, and Beijing watched suspiciously as South Korea participated in a NATO gathering for the first time.

Yoon remains on shaky ground with both countries as he struggles to differentiate