{"id":2197111,"date":"2022-06-28T19:10:23","date_gmt":"2022-06-28T10:10:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/pro\/?p=2197111"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:12:13","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:12:13","slug":"nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/","title":{"rendered":"NATO summit a springboard for South Korea to diversify military ties"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yoon Suk-yeol <\/span>departed for Madrid<\/span><\/a> on Monday to attend the upcoming NATO summit, making him the first South Korean president to do so. While not a member of the military alliance, South Korea is participating in the summit as a <\/span>partner country<\/span><\/a> along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand.<\/span><\/p>\n

The South Korean leader also has a full slate of meetings scheduled with European heads of state during the summit, including the <\/span>Czech Republic<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Poland<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>the Netherlands<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Denmark<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Canada<\/span><\/a>. A bilateral summit with Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida appears unlikely, but the two will join a <\/span>trilateral summit<\/span><\/a> with U.S. President Joe Biden, the first such meeting since <\/span>2017<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Naturally, the NATO summit will <\/span>focus heavily<\/span><\/a> on Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, and Yoon is also expected to seek NATO member states’ support for opposing <\/span>North Korea\u2019s weapons programs<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But perhaps the most surprising development connected to the upcoming summit is the South Korean government\u2019s decision to establish a diplomatic mission to NATO\u2019s headquarters in Brussels. This development signals a dramatic policy shift for South Korea, which has relied almost exclusively on the U.S. alliance for national defense but now feels compelled to reach out to others amid <\/span>perceptions of U.S. decline<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

European nations have also increasingly shifted their attention toward East Asia in recent years in response to growing <\/span>China-Russia cooperation<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>souring relations<\/span><\/a> with Beijing and the EU\u2019s evolving ties with Taiwan. NATO declared that China poses \u201c<\/span>systematic challenges<\/span><\/a>\u201d last year and is <\/span>set to do so again<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

This year\u2019s NATO summit could thus be a springboard for establishing a network of like-minded alliances and partnerships spanning the Trans-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions. But this also presents risks for South Korea, which could see its ties with neighbors Russia and China devolve as a result of its participation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee depart for the NATO summit in Madrid from Seoul Air Base | Image: Republic of Korea Flickr<\/a> page<\/p><\/div>\n

A WARY CHINA<\/b><\/p>\n

Yoon\u2019s attendance in Madrid is an unwelcome development for Beijing. While the U.S. has <\/span>said<\/span><\/a> it does \u201cnot seek a new Cold War, an Asian NATO or a region split into hostile blocs,\u201d China will interpret the participation of South Korea, Japan and Australia as contradicting this reassurance, as it has had diplomatic scuffles with <\/span>all three<\/span><\/a> U.S. allies in recent years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beijing will view any Atlantic-Pacific military cooperation with deep suspicion and respond by developing closer ties with Moscow. This spells further trouble for South Korea\u2019s efforts to pressure the DPRK, after China and Russia <\/span>vetoed<\/span><\/a> a U.S.-led effort to strengthen U.N. Security Council sanctions on North Korea in May.<\/span><\/p>\n

China\u2019s foreign ministry has already <\/span>declared<\/span><\/a> Beijing\u2019s opposition to South Korea\u2019s participation in the upcoming NATO summit, stating that \u201cthe Asia-Pacific is beyond the geographical scope of the North Atlantic.\u201d In light of the <\/span>formation of AUKUS<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>potential expansion<\/span><\/a> of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, China appears to be alarmed by NATO\u2019s growing interest in the Indo-Pacific.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Yoon administration has sought to assuage Beijing\u2019s concerns by publicly <\/span>stating<\/span><\/a> that South Korea\u2019s participation does not mean it will join an international anti-China coalition or become a NATO member. And Beijing, having long perceived South Korea as <\/span>the weak link<\/span><\/a> in the U.S. strategy to encircle China, has so far taken a <\/span>softer approach<\/span><\/a> toward Seoul than <\/span>Tokyo<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But China could change tack if it feels its approach is not bearing results, such as by turning to economic retaliation like it did during the two countries\u2019 row over U.S. missile interceptor batteries. South Korea is particularly vulnerable as it <\/span>relies heavily<\/span><\/a> on Chinese imports for semiconductors, large-capacity batteries, rare earth metals and medical supplies.<\/span><\/p>\n

South Korea\u2019s relationship with Russia will also inevitably worsen. While economic ties between the countries have <\/span>thrived<\/span><\/a> in recent years, relations took a turn when Moscow declared South Korea \u201c<\/span>an unfriendly nation<\/span><\/a>\u201d after Seoul joined <\/span>international sanctions<\/span><\/a> for the invasion of Ukraine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In May, South Korea\u2019s spy agency became the <\/span>first in Asia<\/span><\/a> to join NATO\u2019s cyber defense group based in Estonia, and Seoul has supplied arms to NATO member states providing weapons to Ukraine. None of these moves will help mend South Korea-Russia ties.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

South Korean Lt. Gen. Park Jeong-hwan attends a NATO Chiefs of Defense Session with Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand on May 19, 2022 | Image: NATO<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

IMPROVING SEOUL-TOKYO TIES IN MADRID<\/b><\/p>\n

Despite these potential pitfalls, South Korea could also reap a number of benefits from participating in this week\u2019s NATO summit.<\/span><\/p>\n

For starters, the planned trilateral summit between Yoon, Kishida and Biden will be as good a medium as any to begin thawing relations, even if next month\u2019s <\/span>House of Councillors elections<\/span><\/a> in Japan means Kishida does not want to risk a bilateral meeting at the moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

There have already been positive signs that relations between Seoul and Tokyo could improve. Two weeks ago, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin expressed <\/span>hopes to normalize<\/span><\/a> the <\/span>much-abused<\/span><\/a> military information-sharing pact between South Korea and Japan. The defense chiefs of the two countries and the U.S. also discussed <\/span>resuming joint military exercises<\/span><\/a> earlier this month.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the path to improving ties remains steep. Japanese corporations <\/span>will not acquiesce<\/span><\/a> to South Korean court rulings over wartime forced labor issues, and Yoon, a former prosecutor general, will not want to jeopardize his political capital by <\/span>superseding<\/span><\/a> the country\u2019s judicial system.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other issues including compensation for South Korean women forced into <\/span>sexual slavery<\/span><\/a> by Imperial Japan and competing claims over the <\/span>Dokdo Islets<\/span><\/a> also stand in the way of a thaw in relations. Yoon\u2019s election and this first trilateral meeting nonetheless provide a diplomatic opening.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond ties with Japan, pursuing a more comprehensive security relationship with NATO also allows South Korea to bolster its defense in the face of emerging threats. These include <\/span>cyberattacks<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>climate change<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>supply chain challenges<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>irregular maritime militia forces<\/span><\/a>, threats no one country can manage independently.<\/span><\/p>\n

And because a U.S. presidential election can lead to <\/span>drastic changes<\/span><\/a> in Washington\u2019s foreign policy, South Korea will benefit from seeking out more partners who can help manage turbulence if another leader like Donald Trump, who was skeptical of the U.S.-ROK alliance, comes to power.<\/span><\/p>\n

WHAT\u2019S NEXT<\/b><\/p>\n

South Korea\u2019s greatest threat is the most obvious one \u2014 North Korea\u2019s <\/span>continued advancement<\/span><\/a> of its nuclear and missile programs and moves to make its weapons <\/span>operational<\/span><\/a>. The U.S. presence on the peninsula and its nuclear umbrella help maintain the peace, but it\u2019s an often tense stalemate.<\/span><\/p>\n

A more immediate <\/span>threat<\/span><\/a> is South Korea\u2019s economic overdependence on China. Seoul has had the perhaps impossible task of balancing its security alliance with Washington against its trade partnership with Beijing.<\/span><\/p>\n

But if it wasn\u2019t clear already, Yoon\u2019s participation underlines the fact that South Korea has chosen to align with fellow democratic nations. How that will impact ties with its neighbors will be a key point to watch.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by Bryan Betts<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Defense & Security<\/span><\/a>Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yoon Suk-yeol departed for Madrid on Monday to attend the upcoming NATO summit, making him the first South Korean president to do so. While not a member of the military alliance, South Korea is participating in the summit as a partner country along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The South Korean leader also has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3665,"featured_media":2197113,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[26,28],"yoast_head":"\nNATO summit a springboard for South Korea to diversify military ties - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NATO summit a springboard for South Korea to diversify military ties - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Yoon Suk-yeol departed for Madrid on Monday to attend the upcoming NATO summit, making him the first South Korean president to do so. While not a member of the military alliance, South Korea is participating in the summit as a partner country along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The South Korean leader also has […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-06-28T10:10:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-05T07:12:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/06\/220627a-015-1-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1870\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Bishawjit\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@southkoreapro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@southkoreapro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"John Lee\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Bishawjit\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/person\/313e6f940bf1ae7b8cc487ec00b1b562\"},\"headline\":\"NATO summit a springboard for South Korea to diversify military ties\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-28T10:10:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-05T07:12:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/\"},\"wordCount\":1212,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Defense & Security\",\"Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Analysis\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/\",\"name\":\"NATO summit a springboard for South Korea to diversify military ties - KOREA PRO\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-28T10:10:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-05T07:12:13+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"NATO summit a springboard for South Korea to diversify military ties\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\",\"name\":\"KOREA PRO\",\"description\":\"Be smart about South Korea. Up-to-date analysis on foreign relations, politics, society and economy. Made by the producers of NK PRO and NK News.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"KOREA PRO\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png\",\"width\":360,\"height\":50,\"caption\":\"KOREA PRO\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/southkoreapro\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"NATO summit a springboard for South Korea to diversify military ties - KOREA PRO","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"NATO summit a springboard for South Korea to diversify military ties - KOREA PRO","og_description":"Yoon Suk-yeol departed for Madrid on Monday to attend the upcoming NATO summit, making him the first South Korean president to do so. While not a member of the military alliance, South Korea is participating in the summit as a partner country along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The South Korean leader also has […]","og_url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/","og_site_name":"KOREA PRO","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/","article_published_time":"2022-06-28T10:10:23+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-04-05T07:12:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1870,"height":1000,"url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/06\/220627a-015-1-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Bishawjit","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@southkoreapro","twitter_site":"@southkoreapro","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"John Lee","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/"},"author":{"name":"Bishawjit","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/person\/313e6f940bf1ae7b8cc487ec00b1b562"},"headline":"NATO summit a springboard for South Korea to diversify military ties","datePublished":"2022-06-28T10:10:23+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-05T07:12:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/"},"wordCount":1212,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization"},"keywords":["Defense & Security","Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations"],"articleSection":["Analysis"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/","name":"NATO summit a springboard for South Korea to diversify military ties - KOREA PRO","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-06-28T10:10:23+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-05T07:12:13+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/nato-summit-a-springboard-for-south-korea-to-diversify-military-ties\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"NATO summit a springboard for South Korea to diversify military ties"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/","name":"KOREA PRO","description":"Be smart about South Korea. Up-to-date analysis on foreign relations, politics, society and economy. Made by the producers of NK PRO and NK News.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization","name":"KOREA PRO","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png","width":360,"height":50,"caption":"KOREA PRO"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/southkoreapro"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197111"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3665"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2197111"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2199413,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197111\/revisions\/2199413"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2197113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2197111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2197111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2197111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}