South Korea is seeking greater strategic alignment with Europe as U.S. trade and foreign policy grow increasingly unpredictable under the Trump administration. 

The shift is visible not only in Seoul’s rhetoric but also in its quiet but deliberate pursuit of new partnerships in defense procurement, industrial policy, digital standards and climate cooperation.

While the U.S. remains South Korea’s principal security guarantor, recent developments suggest that Seoul is working to build insulation from Washington’s economic coercion and to reduce future exposure to its volatile policy cycles.

STRATEGIC CONTEXT

Foreign minister Cho Hyun acknowledgedto lawmakers earlier this month that the U.S.