{"id":2195960,"date":"2022-05-04T19:35:51","date_gmt":"2022-05-04T10:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/pro\/?p=2195960"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:12:26","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:12:26","slug":"the-rocky-shoals-on-which-yoon-suk-yeols-foreign-policy-could-shipwreck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-rocky-shoals-on-which-yoon-suk-yeols-foreign-policy-could-shipwreck\/","title":{"rendered":"The rocky shoals on which Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s foreign policy could shipwreck"},"content":{"rendered":"
In less than a week, Yoon Suk-yeol will be sworn in as South Korea\u2019s next president, entering at a time when the country faces a daunting array of foreign policy challenges \u2014 from navigating U.S.-China tensions to repairing ties with Japan.<\/span><\/p>\n Yet it\u2019s essential to remember that the incoming leader has never held political office and remains untested as a diplomat. That lack of experience is a cause for concern, even though he has so far surrounded himself with seasoned political veterans and knowledgeable experts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The world has seen people inexperienced in foreign policy suddenly thrust into leadership before, such as former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and former U.S. President Donald Trump.<\/span><\/p>\n Yoon has already shown his greenness in some early statements and overtures toward China, Japan and North Korea. While opportunities abound, he risks being tossed around if he cannot carefully steer South Korea through the troubled foreign policy waters ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n FORTIFYING THE \u201cIRONCLAD\u201d ALLIANCE<\/b><\/p>\n No other country in the world is likely as excited about Yoon\u2019s incoming presidency as the U.S., with the president-elect calling for bolstering ties.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In an <\/span>op-ed<\/span><\/a> that Yoon penned for <\/span>Foreign Affairs <\/span><\/i>before the election, Yoon explicitly eschewed President Moon Jae-in\u2019s \u201cThree-No\u2019s\u201d pledge to Chinese leader Xi Jinping \u2014 no additional deployments of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile interceptors, no participation in a U.S. missile defense network and no establishment of a trilateral military alliance with the U.S. and Japan.<\/span><\/p>\n Instead, Yoon has called for improving trilateral security coordination with Washington and Tokyo, and he appears more willing to go along with the U.S. <\/span>desire<\/span><\/a> for South Korea to play a more prominent role in the Indo-Pacific through forums like the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad. His support for easing economic sanctions only if Pyongyang takes verifiable and irreversible steps toward denuclearization also puts South Korea and the U.S. on the same page.<\/span><\/p>\n But not everything will be smooth sailing between Seoul and Washington. The biggest issue that requires attention is computer chips and semiconductors.<\/span><\/p>\n U.S. President Joe Biden <\/span>announced<\/span><\/a> that the U.S. will invest $50 billion in infrastructure to protect its semiconductor supply chain. While a multinational agreement involving both U.S. and South Korean parties would benefit all involved, some of <\/span>the Biden administration\u2019s requests<\/span><\/a> for South Korean companies to share what they consider sensitive trade secrets have left them <\/span>in a bind<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n While the Biden administration has not been overly insistent on the matter, it is likely to revisit the issue, and this will put Yoon in an awkward position. While he seeks to improve ties with the U.S., he will also need to safeguard South Korean companies\u2019 financial interests.<\/span><\/p>\n