{"id":2199074,"date":"2022-09-30T11:00:49","date_gmt":"2022-09-30T11:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/koreapro\/?p=2199074"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:11:31","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:11:31","slug":"yoon-and-his-critics-both-score-foreign-policy-own-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/09\/yoon-and-his-critics-both-score-foreign-policy-own-goals\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoon and his critics both score foreign policy own goals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday South Korea\u2019s National Assembly <\/span>passed<\/span><\/a> a vote of no confidence in the foreign minister, Park Jin. Such motions are rare in Seoul, but when they happen, the minister in question almost always resigns.<\/span><\/p>\n

The opposition made Park the fall guy for what its new leader Lee Jae-myung \u2013 who narrowly lost March\u2019s presidential election to Yoon \u2013 <\/span>called<\/span><\/a> the \u201cdiplomatic disaster\u201d of Yoon\u2019s latest overseas trip. The South Korean public concurs; Yoon\u2019s approval ratings hit <\/span>an all-time low<\/span><\/a> after he returned.<\/span><\/p>\n

From the tenor of coverage in much South Korean media, you\u2019d think the trip was an unmitigated <\/span>fiasco<\/span><\/a> from start to finish. Much of that, it appears, stemmed from a hot-mic moment in which Yoon appeared to call U.S. lawmakers \u201cbastards\u201d \u2013 or perhaps something more explicit, depending on how you translate \u201cee saekki-deul\u201d (\uc774 \uc0c8\ub07c\ub4e4).<\/span><\/p>\n

But Park Jin may just hold on, and not because the South Korean president is not forced to fire someone the National Assembly disapproves of them. No, it\u2019s because Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s ventures to London, New York and Ottawa weren\u2019t all bad, and the whole brouhaha about it in Seoul is overblown and partisan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at the first leg of the trip. The U.K. was a last-minute addition, tacked on so that Yoon could pay his respects to the queen. But in London, his team simply didn\u2019t allow enough time for him to see Elizabeth II lying in state. His plane had left Seoul two hours <\/span>late<\/span><\/a>, for reasons unknown.<\/span><\/p>\n

With dozens of world leaders flying in (imagine the security), precision timing was essential. A well-placed source told me that, while the logistics were difficult for everyone \u2013 Yoon was far from the only leader to have issues that day \u2013 the ROK delegation was particularly tricky.<\/span><\/p>\n

These things happen. And U.K.-ROK relations are no worse for wear. Alliances are built on firmer foundations than scheduling snafus. Further, embarrassed South Koreans can rest assured that the British public knew absolutely nothing about this and wouldn\u2019t have cared anyway. At a time of national mourning, we Brits were focused firmly inward.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Watching coverage of the funeral, I can\u2019t recall a single one of the foreign leaders present even being mentioned. The cameras didn\u2019t pan to presidents Biden and Macron, much less Yoon.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrive for a summit in Ottawa, Sept. 2022. | Image: Republic of Korea Presidential Office.<\/p><\/div>\n

So London was a storm in a teacup. What about the U.S.? Bastardgate apart, this too was not the disaster some allege. True, it was unwise to build up what was only going to be a brief aside with Biden as a \u201c<\/span>summit<\/span><\/a>,\u201d and the whole <\/span>48 seconds<\/span><\/a> of face time the two leaders shared must be some kind of record.<\/span><\/p>\n

But like everyone else at the U.N. General Assembly, the two presidents were there to attend the event itself, not meet one-on-one. Biden must have had a million things on his mind, so this was hardly the time and place to resolve what South Korea considers <\/span>a major scandal<\/span><\/a>: Its foreign-built electric vehicles (EVs) no longer qualify for $7,500 tax credits in the U.S. thanks to this summer\u2019s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hyundai is spending billions to build an EV plant in the state of Georgia, but it\u2019s not up and running yet. In the meantime, trade minister Ahn Duk-geun <\/span>warned<\/span><\/a> that Seoul might retaliate if South Korean EVs don\u2019t get a special carve-out in the IRA. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris also got an <\/span>earful<\/span><\/a> during her 90-minute meeting with President Yoon this week.<\/span><\/p>\n

So it\u2019s unfair to claim that Yoon\u2019s government isn\u2019t fighting fiercely on the IRA issue. But here\u2019s a twist, to confound both Yoon and his foes. What if all this pugnacity is unwarranted?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Analysts told the <\/span>Financial Times<\/span><\/i><\/a> they found South Korea\u2019s allergic reaction to the IRA \u201cbaffling,\u201d as its long-term effect will greatly benefit South Korean companies overall. Basically, Korean firms stand to gain hugely from the IRA by being the world\u2019s top EV battery makers who are not Chinese.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

The South Korean presidential office flag and national flag, Sept. 28, 2022 | Image: Jeon Han \/ Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n

THE LONG VIEW<\/b><\/p>\n

But back to Yoon in the Big Apple. Critics also dismissed his half-hour <\/span>meeting<\/span><\/a> with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. While it may not have been a breakthrough, you have to start somewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

These neighbors should be allies and friends, but relations went from bad to worse under Yoon\u2019s predecessor Moon Jae-in. That\u2019a a topic for another article, but kudos to Yoon for grasping the nettle. A hard road lies ahead, yet at least he\u2019s made a start. To attack him for not getting instant results is puerile.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally came Canada, where Yoon and his host premier Justin Trudeau discussed security ties and critical <\/span>minerals<\/span><\/a>. No one found much fault with this leg of the trip, at least. But maybe the critics, rather superciliously, don\u2019t deem Canada important.<\/span><\/p>\n

To sum up. Bastardgate was awful; Yoon needs to shape up, and know when to shut up. His staff have some learning to do too. But that doesn\u2019t mean the whole trip was a waste. It wasn\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n

Like him or not \u2013 and most citizens now definitely <\/span>don\u2019t<\/span><\/a> \u2013 Yoon Suk-yeol is South Korea\u2019s leader: the face of his country to the wider world, for the next four years or so. For sure, he needs to perform much better than on this recent trip.<\/span><\/p>\n

Critics have every right to point to his flaws and keep Yoon on his toes. But meanwhile, the essential work of diplomacy goes on, as it must. Critics should be careful not to compound the damage and undermine their nation\u2019s interests by exaggerating. Give credit where it\u2019s due.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m conscious of walking a fine line here. To be clear, I totally deplore the bullying stance of Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Dae-ki, who suggested Yoon never said what we all heard him say and even <\/span>accused the media<\/span><\/a> of destabilizing the Korea-US alliance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But we should keep a sense of proportion. There are real storms, like <\/span>Hurricane Ian<\/span><\/a>, or the political and economic storm currently engulfing my own country. And then there are storms in teacups: trivia which ultimately doesn\u2019t matter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bastardgate was an own goal. But so was the opposition party\u2019s censure motion. If Yoon\u2019s incompetence harmed the national interest, so does partisan point-scoring.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Seoul needs to find a better way<\/span>. And with Yoon rejecting parliament\u2019s motion<\/a> to dismiss his foreign minister, Park Jin may be around to help his president find it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by Arius Derr<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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

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