[Politics & Diplomacy] Lee Jae Myung's 1st month of 'Pragmatic Diplomacy': Progress & challenges ahead

It's been one month since President Lee Jae Myung took office. It's still early days, but we zoom in on the course of his foreign affairs and security policies, which he has defined as "pragmatic diplomacy." For this, we have our Oh Soo-young in the studio. 1. First, how would you summarise the first month of Lee's pragmatic diplomacy? From my perspective, there has been an interesting mix of both continuity and change from the previous administration. In being pragmatic, the Lee government has clearly kept Seoul's global diplomacy intact at its first multilateral summit at the G7. Holding at least ten individual summits with world leaders,.. his focus there was reinforcing South Korea's position in the international community as a vibrant democratic partner, after six months of a leadership vacuum following President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law crisis last year. There's continuity in South Korea's strategic relationships, too. His first phone calls with world leaders were made in order of: the U.S., Japan, and then China. That mirrors the previous Yoon administration's priorities, emphasising the South Korea–U.S. alliance and a future-oriented partnership with Tokyo. That's been surprising given how past progressive leaders have shown more affinity towards China than Japan, emphasising historical disputes with the latter. Now, where there's been some recalibration is when it comes to values. The former Yoon administration endorsed liberal democratic values as the basis for cooperation but the new Lee administration has indicated it will focus on what serves Korean interests, not necessarily values. That includes diversifying its cooperation and working with China and Russia, avoiding bloc-based alignment. On North Korea, Lee's strategy is clearly geared towards lowering tensions. Even in the first month of his presidency, he decided to withhold psychological warfare tactics like loudspeaker broadcasts, and crack down on South Korean groups sending anti-North Korea flyers over the border. It's a sharp contrast to the tit-for-tat escalation under the previous administration. Q2. And his top policymakers will initiate his pragmatic diplomacy. Let's turn to his ministerial nominees for key diplomatic and security positions. What does his selection of ministers indicate? The President's selections for the ministers of foreign affairs, unification, and defense represent a decisive pivot toward institutional experience and peace, rather than deterrence, towards North Korea. Foreign Minister nominee Cho Hyun is a career diplomat with decades of experience in multilateral diplomacy. He emphasized the importance of diversifying Korea's diplomatic interests. Speaking during an interview, Cho said it was time to move beyond what he called "the stereotype that diplomacy begins and ends with the United States." At the same time, he acknowledged America's centrality in building peace with North Korea, saying achieving U.S.–North Korea dialogue and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula is one of the Administration's top priorities. The nominee for Unification Minister, Chung Dong-young, is also no stranger to the inter-Korean agenda. He held the same position under President Roh Moo-hyun and played a central role in organizing the 2007 inter-Korean summit. He said he supports U.S.–North Korea talks, noting that "they help ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula and contribute to peace and stability." He's made headlines by suggesting that the very name "Ministry of Unification" may be outdated and the ministry should shift its emphasis away from symbolic unification rhetoric and instead focus on concrete goals like humanitarian cooperation and sustainable coexistence. Now, a particularly significant appointment is Ahn Gyu-back as Defense Ministerthe first civilian to hold the post in more than six decades. His nomination represents democratic oversight of the military, particularly after the martial law crisis last year, as well as reform to better support armed forces amid sharp technological and geopolitical changes. He's also emphasised the need for a peaceful overture between the South and North to create the mood for military tensions to be eased. Q3. Is the Korea–U.S. summit still expected in late July — and what are the stakes? Yes, officials from both governments confirm that a summit in Washington is being arranged most likely for the week of July 21st. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is widely expected to stop by earlier in July to finalise the grounds. These three issues are likely to dominate their talks: America's tariffs on South Korea's foremost industrial goods especially with Washington ending its grace period next Wednesday. Also, defence spending, as the U.S. calls on allies to pay more towards their security, and even cover areas outside their cost-sharing agreement, such as the deployment of U.S. tactical assets. Another issue could possibly be North Korea, as Lee moves to lower tensions and Trump signals interest in resuming engagement with the North. Lee and Trump were originally expected to meet during the G7 Summit in Canada last month, but that meeting did not take place as Trump left early amid the Israel-Iran conflict. The upcoming summit will be a major test of how the Lee administration balances alliance management with national interest. So the first high-stakes meeting for Lee's pragmatic diplomacy. Let's see what happens later this month. Thanks Soo-young for coming in today.