Diplomatic-Pragmatic Korea and Northeast Asia
The de-escalation of tensions among Japan and South Korea in 2020 has renewed focus on economic cooperation. Even though the dispute over travel restrictions has been denied by the government bilateral economic initiatives have continued or expanded.
프라그마틱 환수율 (2013) was the first researcher to study the resistance to pragmatics of L2 Korean learners. His research revealed that a myriad of factors such as identity and personal beliefs, can influence a learner's pragmatic decisions.
The role of pragmatism is South Korea's foreign policies
In a period of flux and changes, South Korea's Foreign Policy has to be bold and clear. It must be prepared to take a stand on the principle of equality and work towards achieving global public goods, like sustainable development, climate change and maritime security. It must also possess the ability to project its global influence by delivering tangible benefits. It must, however, do so without compromising the stability of its domestic economy.
This is an extremely difficult task. South Korea's foreign policies are affected by domestic politics. It is essential that the government of the country manages the domestic obstacles to build public confidence in the direction and accountability of foreign policy. It is not an easy job, as the structures that support foreign policy formation are diverse and complicated. This article examines the challenges of overcoming these constraints domestically to project a cohesive foreign policy.
South Korea will likely benefit from the current government's emphasis on a pragmatic partnership with allies and partners who share similar values. This approach can help counter progressive attacks against GPS its values-based foundation and create space for Seoul to engage with nondemocracies. It will also strengthen Seoul's relationship with the United States, which remains an indispensable partner in advancing the liberal democratic world order.
Another challenge for Seoul is to improve its relationship with China, the country's largest trading partner. The Yoon administration has made significant progress in building multilateral security structures, such as the Quad. However, it must weigh this effort against its need to maintain economic relations with Beijing.
Long-time observers of Korean politics have pointed to regionalism and ideology as the main drivers of the political debate, younger people seem less inclined to this view. This new generation is also more diverse, and its outlook and values are changing. This is reflected by the recent growth of Kpop, as well as the growing global appeal of its exports of culture. It's still too early to tell if these factors will influence the future of South Korea's foreign policy. But it is worth paying attention to.
South Korea's diplomatic-pragmatic approach towards North Korea
South Korea must strike a delicate balance in order to protect itself from rogue states and avoid getting caught up in power battles with its large neighbors. It must also be aware of the trade-offs between values and interests especially when it comes to assisting human rights activists and engaging with non-democratic governments. In this regard the Yoon government's diplomatic and pragmatic approach to North Korea is an important contrast to previous governments.
As one of the world's most active pivotal states South Korea must strive for multilateral engagement as a means of positioning itself within the global and regional security network. In its first two years, the Yoon Administration has actively strengthened bilateral ties and expanded participation in minilaterals and multilateral forums. These initiatives include the Korea-Pacific Islands Summit and the Second Asia-Pacific Summit for Democracy.
These efforts might seem like incremental steps but they have helped Seoul to make use of its new alliances to advance its views on regional and global issues. For example, the 2023 Summit for Democracy emphasized the importance of reforms and practice in democracy to address issues such as corruption, digital transformation and transparency. The summit announced $100 million in development cooperation projects to help the democratic process, including anti-corruption and the e-governance effort.
The Yoon government has also engaged with countries and organisations with similar values and priorites to support its vision for an international network of security. These include the United States of America, Japan, China and the European Union. They also include ASEAN members and Pacific Island nations. These activities may have been criticized by progressives as lacking in pragmatism or values, however, they can assist South Korea build a more robust foreign policy toolkit when dealing with states that are rogue such as North Korea.
However, GPS' emphasis on values could put Seoul in a precarious position when confronted with trade-offs between values and desires. For instance, the government's sensitivity to human rights activists and its reluctance to deport North Korean refugees who have been accused of criminal activity could cause it to prioritize policies that are not democratic at home. This is especially true when the government is faced with a situation similar to the one of Kwon Pong, who was a Chinese advocate who sought asylum in South Korea.
South Korea's trilateral collaboration with Japan
In the midst of global uncertainty and a volatile world economy, trilateral collaboration between South Korea and Japan is a bright spot in Northeast Asia. Although the three countries share a security interest in North Korea's nuclear threat, they also share a strong economic stake in creating secure and safe supply chains and expanding trade opportunities. The return of their highest-level annual meeting is a clear indication that the three neighbors want to promote closer economic integration and co-operation.
However, the future of their alliance will be tested by a variety of elements. The question of how to deal with the issue of human rights violations committed by the Japanese or Korean militaries within their respective colonies is most pressing. The three leaders agreed to cooperate to address these issues and create a joint mechanism for preventing and punishing human rights violations.
A third issue is to find a compromise between the competing interests of the three countries in East Asia. This is especially important in the context of maintaining stability in the region as well as addressing China’s growing influence. In the past trilateral security cooperation was often hampered by disputes over historical and territorial issues. These disputes continue to exist despite recent signs of a pragmatic stabilization.
The summit was briefly shadowed, for example, by North Korea's announcement it would launch a satellite during the summit, as well as Japan's decision, received with protests from Beijing, to extend its military exercises with South Korea and the U.S.
It is possible to bring back the trilateral relationship in the current context however, it will require initiative and cooperation of President Yoon and Premier Kishida. If they fail to act accordingly, the current era of trilateral cooperation may only be only a brief respite from an otherwise turbulent future. In the longer term, if the current trajectory continues the three countries will end up at odds over their mutual security interests. In this case the only way that the trilateral relationship will last is if each country overcomes its own challenges to achieve peace and prosperity.
South Korea's trilateral partnership with China
The Ninth China, Japan, and Korea Trilateral Summit concluded this week with the leaders of South Korea and Japan signing numerous tangible and significant outcomes. The Summit's outcomes include a joint Declaration and a Statement on Future Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response and an Agreement on Trilateral Intellectual Property Cooperation. These documents are significant because they set high-level goals, which in some cases, may be contrary to the collaboration between Tokyo and Seoul with the United States.
The goal is to establish the framework for multilateral cooperation that will benefit all three countries. The projects will include low-carbon transformations, innovative technologies for a aging population, and joint responses to global issues like climate change, epidemics and food security. It would also concentrate on strengthening people-to-people exchanges and creating a trilateral innovation collaboration center.
These efforts will also improve stability in the area. It is essential that South Korea maintains a positive relationship with both China and Japan, especially when faced with regional issues, such as North Korean provocation, escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait, and Sino-American rivalry. A weakening relationship with one of these countries could lead to instability in the other and therefore negatively impact trilateral cooperation with both.
However, it is important that the Korean government promotes a clear distinction between bilateral and trilateral collaboration with one of these countries. A clear distinction will help minimize the negative effects that a tension-filled relationship between China and Japan can have on trilateral relations.
China is primarily seeking to build support between Seoul and Tokyo against protectionist policies under the upcoming U.S. administration. This is evident in China's emphasis on economic cooperation. Beijing is also seeking to stop the United States' security cooperation from undermining its own trilateral economic and military ties. This is a tactical move to counter the growing threat of U.S. protectionism and establish a platform for countering it with other powers.