{"id":2200923,"date":"2023-05-04T18:59:34","date_gmt":"2023-05-04T09:59:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2200923"},"modified":"2023-05-04T19:09:47","modified_gmt":"2023-05-04T10:09:47","slug":"yoon-suk-yeols-summit-in-washington-met-with-lukewarm-reception-in-seoul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/yoon-suk-yeols-summit-in-washington-met-with-lukewarm-reception-in-seoul\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s summit in Washington met with lukewarm reception in Seoul"},"content":{"rendered":"
South Korea is a heavily polarized society in which progressives and conservatives often struggle to reach a consensus on even the most trivial matters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But domestic media\u2019s portrayal of President Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s recent state visit to the U.S. offers a rare instance of agreement, with both ideological camps critiquing the president for reasons that, at times, overlap.<\/span><\/p>\n The Chosun Ilbo<\/span><\/i>, South Korea\u2019s most prominent conservative daily newspaper, endorsed the joint decision by South Korea and the U.S. to bolster extended deterrence. However, the op-ed expressed unease that the creation of the Nuclear Consultation Group (NCG) might curtail South Korea\u2019s ability to develop its own nuclear deterrent in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n The editorial <\/span>observes<\/span><\/a>, \u201cIt seems that South Korean consent for the establishment of the Nuclear Consultation Group hinged on surrendering any aspirations for nuclear arms acquisition or redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in Korea.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe Washington Declaration appears to prioritize U.S. apprehensions over South Korea developing its own nuclear arsenal rather than addressing the North Korean nuclear threat that prompts such aspirations,\u201d the paper states.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It adds that while the U.S.-ROK alliance serves as the cornerstone of ROK national security, \u201cthe responsibility for our defense ultimately lies with us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n In an unusual departure from conservative orthodoxy, <\/span>Dong-A Ilbo<\/span><\/i>, another prominent conservative newspaper, responded to Yoon\u2019s U.S. visit by publishing a <\/span>column<\/span><\/a> warning against provoking China.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The prevailing conservative viewpoint typically contends that the ROK should firmly align with the U.S. amid the escalating rivalry between Washington and Beijing.<\/span><\/p>\n On the whole, pro-American conservatives have reacted positively to the outcomes of the visit. <\/span>Both the <\/span><\/i>Chosun Ilbo<\/span><\/i><\/a> and <\/span>the <\/span><\/i>JoongAng Ilbo<\/span><\/i><\/a> newspaper \u2014 another conservative media titan \u2014 underscored Yoon\u2019s diplomatic successes on its front page, despite the myriad challenges he faces in domestic affairs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n PROGRESSIVE CRITICISM<\/b><\/p>\n Progressive media outlets have offered stinging critiques of Yoon Suk-yeol, and their arguments surprisingly echo those made by conservatives. The <\/span>Hankyoreh<\/span><\/i>, a leading progressive newspaper, featured a <\/span>guest essay<\/span><\/a> by Lee Jong-seok \u2014 a former unification minister and a prominent figure on the left.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYoon Suk-yeol is not content with merely adopting a hardline North Korea policy; he inflames tensions by provoking China and Russia when discussing values-based diplomacy, taking cues from the U.S,\u201d Lee opined. \u201cNotably absent from the joint statement was any acknowledgment of Korea\u2019s unique circumstances.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Lee\u2019s critique shares much in common with the conservative criticisms of Yoon\u2019s diplomacy mentioned earlier. His essay asserts, \u201cThe South Korean government presented the U.S. with a considerable gift by explicitly forgoing its own nuclear armament aspirations in exchange for extended deterrence assurances amounting to little more than rhetoric.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Lee Jong-seok was not the sole progressive who advocated a pro-nuclear stance. Lee Je-hoon, a reporter at <\/span>Hankyoreh<\/span><\/i>, made an <\/span>argument<\/span><\/a> that bore striking resemblances to both Lee Jong-seok\u2019s commentary and the <\/span>Chosun Ilbo<\/span><\/i> newspaper\u2019s editorial, which is customarily seen as a bastion for his most ardent ideological adversaries.<\/span><\/p>\n Lee Je-hoon wrote that the true crux of the Washington Declaration is U.S. President Joe Biden\u2019s receipt of Yoon\u2019s assurance that South Korea would not acquire nuclear weapons.<\/span><\/p>\n An editorial in the <\/span>Kyunghyang Shinmun<\/span><\/i>, another influential progressive newspaper, <\/span>proclaimed<\/span><\/a> that \u201cKorea has gone all-in with the U.S.\u201d The publication posits that improving ties between the U.S., South Korea, and Japan will inevitably draw North Korea, China and Russia closer together.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In contrast, the newspaper was critical of the merits of bolstering extended deterrence, maintaining that it could potentially exacerbate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.<\/span><\/p>\n