ROK Presidential Office<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/div>\nSECURITY CALCULATIONS<\/b><\/p>\n
The gap in South Korea\u2019s response to Taiwan\u2019s election, compared to the more enthusiastic global reaction, shows that Seoul\u2019s approach is based on security calculations \u2014 and for good reason, many experts told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s rare to frame any election as a battle between democratic and authoritarian forces, even among Western countries,\u201d Kim Tae-hyung, a professor of political science at Soongsil University, told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cSouth Korea\u2019s semiconductor industry might benefit by Seoul balancing its relations with Beijing and Taipei, but at this moment, it is better to show restraint and strategize.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cSouth Korea doesn\u2019t have to take action [to congratulate Taiwan] immediately. That doesn\u2019t mean that it should be indifferent about it, either. But it should keep a close eye on how the situation develops,\u201d said Lee Tai-hwan, an honorary research fellow at the Sejong Insitute.<\/span><\/p>\nJung Sung-chul, an assistant professor of political science and diplomacy at Myongji University, contextualized South Korea\u2019s muted response within its broader diplomatic strategy, particularly the emphasis on nurturing the ROK-Japan-China relationship.<\/span><\/p>\nHe pointed out Seoul\u2019s priority this year is to improve ties with Beijing to avoid appearing as though it is aligning with Washington and Tokyo to contain Beijing, especially after U.S.-ROK-Japan ties saw significant developments last year.<\/span><\/p>\nThese experts agreed that the South Korean government\u2019s decision to refrain from issuing congratulatory messages was prudent, considering the potential for escalated tensions in the Taiwan Strait that could disrupt crucial supply chains and impose military strain on South Korea.<\/span><\/p>\nLEGITIMATE CONCERNS<\/b><\/p>\n
Andrew Yeo, the SK-Korea Foundation chair at the Brookings Institution\u2019s Center for East Asia Policy Studies, told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i> that Washington understands South Korea\u2019s cautious stance.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI think, traditionally, South Koreans are probably more comfortable with the KMT because the camp aligns more closely with how Korea has tried to navigate its relations with Beijing,\u201d Yeo explained.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cAnd my sense is that Korea wants to reach out to China this year. Seoul was very much focused on the U.S.-Korea alliance last year,\u201d Yeo said, agreeing with Jung.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cBut South Korea-China relations weren\u2019t really moving forward or going anywhere. And I think Korea would like to try to engage China more as it saw that the Biden administration was doing the same,\u201d Yeo stated.<\/span><\/p>\nHoo Chiew-Ping, a co-founder and senior fellow at the East Asian International Relations Caucus, told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i> that China\u2019s strong response to congratulatory messages from Japan and the Philippines has \u201cobviously contributed\u201d to South Korea\u2019s reserved stance.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cGiven how desperate South Korea is trying to be on good footing with China and not worsen it, this should be understood from a pragmatic point of view,\u201d Hoo said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nEconomic considerations, particularly the semiconductor sector, are critical to South Korea\u2019s foreign policy. The prominence of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) as a formidable competitor to South Korea\u2019s Samsung underlines their intense competition.<\/span><\/p>\nBeyond industrial competition, the potential for economic retaliation from China, as evidenced by past incidents following Seoul\u2019s deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, remains a significant concern for South Korea.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cAs audacious as President Yoon\u2019s rhetoric and policy maneuvering might be, he pledged \u2018no additional [THAAD] deployment is necessary\u2019 just to pacify China,\u201d Hoo explained.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cWhile the ROK is diversifying its supply chain networks to mitigate further punitive economic actions from China, part of Seoul\u2019s policy circuit still wishes to warm up ties with China because it is very slow for such an economic diversification strategy to work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n