Diplomatic-Pragmatic Korea and Northeast Asia

The diplomatic de-escalation of Japan-South Korean tensions in 2020 has refocused on the importance of economic cooperation. Even when the dispute over travel restrictions was resolved by bilateral economic initiatives, bilateral cooperation have continued or increased.

Brown (2013) was the first to document the resistance to pragmatics of L2 Korean learners. His study found that a variety of variables such as identity and Pragmatickr.com personal beliefs, can influence a student's practical choices.

The role of pragmatism in South Korea's foreign policy

In a period of flux and change, South Korea's Foreign Policy must be clear and bold. It should be able to stand by its principles and work towards achieving global public goods, such as climate change, sustainable development and maritime security. It must also possess the capacity to expand its global influence by delivering tangible benefits. However, it has to do so without compromising its stability in the domestic sphere.

This is a challenging task. South Korea's foreign policy is hindered by domestic politics. It is important that the leadership of the country manages these internal constraints to increase public confidence in the direction and accountability for foreign policies. It's not an easy task, as the structures that support the formulation of foreign policy are varied and complex. This article focuses on how to handle these domestic constraints in order to project a coherent foreign policy.

South Korea will likely benefit from the current government's focus on a pragmatic partnership with allies and partners that have similar values. This can help to counter the growing attacks on GPS on a values-based basis and create space for Seoul to interact with non-democratic countries. It will also strengthen Seoul's relationship with the United States, which remains an essential partner in advancing the liberal democratic world order.

Another issue facing Seoul is to revamp its complicated relationship with China as the country's biggest trading partner. While the Yoon administration has made strides in establishing multilateral security architectures such as the Quad, it must be mindful of the need to maintain the economic ties with Beijing.

Younger voters are less influenced by this view. This generation is an increasingly diverse worldview and its worldview and values are changing. This is reflected in the recent growth of K-pop and the rising international appeal of its cultural exports. It's too early to tell if these trends will impact the future of South Korea's foreign policy. However, they are worth watching closely.

South Korea's pragmatic and diplomatic approach to North Korea

South Korea must strike a delicate balance to safeguard itself from rogue states and avoid being entangled in power struggles with its larger neighbors. It also has to consider the trade-offs between interests and values particularly when it comes to assisting human rights activists and working with nondemocracies. In this regard, the Yoon administration's pragmatic and diplomatic approach to North Korea is a significant departure from previous administrations.

As one of the most active pivotal nations in the world, South Korea needs to engage in multilateral partnerships as a means of positioning itself within global and regional security networks. In the first two years of its office, the Yoon administration has actively strengthened bilateral ties with democratically-minded allies and expanded participation in multilateral and minilateral forums. These initiatives include the Korea-Pacific Islands Summit, and the Second Asia-Pacific Summit for Democracy.

These efforts may seem like incremental steps but they have helped Seoul to leverage its newly formed partnerships to spread its opinions on global and regional issues. The 2023 Summit for Democracy, for instance, highlighted the importance and necessity of reforming democracy and practice to address issues such as corruption, digital transformation and transparency. The summit announced $100 million in development cooperation projects that will help support democracy, including anti-corruption as well as e-governance efforts.

In addition the Yoon government has been actively engaging with organizations and countries with similar values and goals to help support its vision of an international security network. These include the United States, Japan, China and the European Union, ASEAN members, and Pacific Island nations. These activities be criticised by progressives for being lacking in pragmatism and values, however, they can assist South Korea build a more solid toolkit for foreign policy in dealing with states that are rogue such as North Korea.

However, GPS' emphasis on values could put Seoul in a difficult position when it comes to balancing values and interests. The government's concern for human rights and refusal to deport North Koreans accused of committing crimes could lead to it, for example, to prioritize policies that are undemocratic in Korea. This is especially true if the government is faced with similar circumstances to Kwon Pyong, the Chinese activist who sought asylum in South Korea.

South Korea's trilateral partnership with Japan

In the midst a rising global uncertainty and a fragile world economy, trilateral cooperation between South Korea, Japan, and China is an opportunity for Northeast Asia. Although the three countries share a security concern with North Korea's nuclear threat, they also have a significant economic stake in establishing secure and safe supply chains and expanding trade opportunities. The three countries' resumption at their most high-level meetings each year is a clear indication that they want to push for greater economic integration and cooperation.

However the future of their relationship will be questioned by a variety of factors. The issue of how to handle the issue of human right violations committed by the Japanese or Korean militaries within their respective colonies is the most urgent. The three leaders agreed they will work together to solve the issues and create an integrated system to prevent and punish abuses of human rights.

Another issue is how to keep in balance the three countries' competing interests in East Asia, especially when it comes to maintaining international stability and addressing China's increasing influence in the region. In the past the trilateral security cooperation often been hampered by disagreements over historical and territorial issues. Despite recent evidence of stability in the pragmatics the disputes are still lingering.

The summit was briefly tainted by, for example, North Korea's announcement that it would launch a satellite during the summit and by Japan's decision, received with protests from Beijing, to extend its military exercises with South Korea and the U.S.

It is possible to revive the trilateral partnership in the current context, but it requires the initiative and cooperation of President Yoon and Premier Kishida. If they fail to take this step this time around, the current period of trilateral cooperation may only be only a brief respite from an otherwise rocky future. If the current trend continues, in the long run, the three countries may be at odds with each other over their shared security interests. In that case the only way to ensure the trilateral relationship to last will be if each country can overcome its own domestic challenges to prosperity and peace.

South Korea's trilateral cooperation with China China

The 9th China-Japan Korea-China Trilateral Summit wrapped up this week with the leaders of South Korea, Japan and China signing a variety of tangible and significant outcomes. The Summit's outcomes include a joint Declaration, a Statement on Future Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, and an Agreement on Trilateral Intellectual Property Cooperation. These documents are notable for laying out ambitious goals that, in some instances, run counter to Seoul and Tokyo's cooperation with the United States.

The goal is to strengthen a framework for multilateral cooperation that benefits all three countries. It could include projects to create low-carbon solutions, advance new technologies to help the aging population and improve joint responses to global issues like climate change, epidemics, as well as food security. It would also concentrate on enhancing people-to-people interactions and the establishment of a trilateral innovation cooperation center.

These efforts will also contribute to improving stability in the region. It is important that South Korea maintains a positive relationship with both China and Japan particularly when confronted with regional issues, such as North Korean provocation, escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait, and Sino-American rivalry. A weakening partnership with one of these countries could result in instability in the other and consequently negatively impact trilateral cooperation with both.

It is crucial however that the Korean government makes clear distinctions between bilateral and trilateral engagement with either of these countries. A clear distinction can aid in minimizing the negative impact of a tension-filled relationship with either China or Japan on trilateral relations with both.

China's primary goal is to win support from Seoul and Tokyo in opposition to any protectionist policies by the new U.S. Administration. This is reflected in China's emphasis on economic cooperation. Moreover, Beijing is likely hoping to prevent security cooperation with the United States from undermining the importance of its own trilateral economic and military ties with these East Asian allies. This is a strategic decision to counter the increasing threat from U.S. protectionism and create an opportunity to combat it with other powers.