South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol emphasized the importance of the alliance between South Korea and the United States during an interview with the Washington Post, calling it “the most successful alliance in history and, above all, an alliance based on values.” Yoon also said during the interview that he has made efforts to improve relations with Japan despite 60% of South Koreans disapproving his rapprochement. He defended his approach saying, “I can’t accept the notion that because of what happened 100 years ago, something is absolutely impossible [to do] and that they [Japanese] must kneel [for forgiveness] because of our history 100 years ago,” and argued that South Korea’s security concerns were too urgent to delay cooperation with Tokyo.

Regarding the Ukraine crisis, Yoon mentioned that it might be difficult for South Korea to insist only on humanitarian or financial support if the situation worsens. He stated, “Of course, Ukraine is under an illegal invasion, so it is appropriate to provide a range of aid, but when it comes to how and what we will supply, we cannot but consider many direct and indirect relationships between our country and the warring countries.”