{"id":2205760,"date":"2024-07-12T08:00:26","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T23:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2205760"},"modified":"2024-07-11T17:06:56","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T08:06:56","slug":"yoons-nato-summit-engagement-risks-reversing-progress-in-south-korea-china-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/07\/yoons-nato-summit-engagement-risks-reversing-progress-in-south-korea-china-ties\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoon\u2019s NATO summit engagement risks reversing progress in South Korea-China ties"},"content":{"rendered":"
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol held talks with leaders from <\/span>the Czech Republic<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>the Netherlands<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Sweden<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Finland<\/span><\/a> at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit to discuss nuclear industry cooperation. He discussed institutionalizing security cooperation with <\/span>Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau<\/span><\/a>. Yoon also welcomed <\/span>Germany\u2019s<\/span><\/a> application to join the United Nations Command (UNC), a U.S.-led multinational command overseeing the Korean War armistice.<\/span><\/p>\n Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged to <\/span>bolster security cooperation<\/span><\/a> with NATO amid deepening ties between North Korea and Russia. The <\/span>Washington Summit Declaration<\/span><\/a> strongly condemned North Korea\u2019s weapons exports to Russia and voiced concern over their partnership. The leaders also accused China of enabling Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine and highlighted the need for cooperation with NATO\u2019s four Indo-Pacific partners, including South Korea.<\/span><\/p>\n WHY IT MATTERS<\/b><\/p>\n Yoon\u2019s participation in the NATO summit, while aiming to strengthen South Korea\u2019s security, risks Seoul\u2019s diplomatic relations with Beijing. The Washington Summit Declaration\u2019s criticism of China could strain ROK-China relations. South Korea and China held <\/span>\u201ctwo plus two\u201d talks<\/span><\/a> in June and participated in a <\/span>trilateral leadership summit<\/span><\/a> with Japan in May to foster cooperation. However, Yoon\u2019s participation in the NATO summit could reverse that trend yet again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Moreover, Germany\u2019s involvement in the UNC could further strain South Korea\u2019s relations with China and Russia, which have historically opposed the UNC\u2019s presence on the Korean Peninsula. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning <\/span>stated<\/span><\/a> that the UNC \u201chas no legal grounds\u201d and is \u201coutdated\u201d in Nov. 2023. China may view Germany\u2019s membership as a further expansion of NATO in the region. A strained relationship with China will likely complicate South Korea\u2019s efforts to elicit Beijing\u2019s help to potentially temper improving North Korea-Russia relations.<\/span><\/p>\n