[Weekly Focus] What S. Korean leader's 'pragmatic diplomacy' means for U.S., Japan, China: 1 month in office

It's been one month since President Lee Jae Myung took office. It's still early days but we review the past 30-something days of his foreign affairs and security policies, which he has defined as "pragmatic diplomacy." For this, we have our Oh Soo-young in studio. 1. First, how would you summarize 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 is clearly keeping Seoul's global diplomacy intact based on the president's 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 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 S. 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, emphasizing historical disputes with the latter. However, there has been some recalibration when it comes to working with China and Russia. 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. "The Yoon government's "value diplomacy" used values as the standard for all foreign policy decisions. As a result, relations between Seoul and its neighbors, especially China, Russia, and North Korea, rapidly deteriorated. This directly affected Korea's economic and security situation. Thus, the need for pragmatic diplomacy emerged from understanding that value diplomacy alone could not guarantee peace, development, or stability on the Korean Peninsula." 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, while cracking 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 what does his selection of ministers for diplomacy and security tell us about his pragmatic diplomacy? The president's Cabinet picks represent a decisive pivot toward multilateral cooperation, 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 emphasised the importance of diversifying Korea's diplomatic interests. Speaking during a door-stepping 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. 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." The appointment of Ahn Gyu-baek as Defense Minister is also noteworthy. He'll be the first civilian to hold the post in more than six decades, representing democratic oversight of the military, particularly after the martial law crisis last year. Rather than a strong alliance-based message, Ahn's also emphasised the need for a peaceful overture between the South and North, such as the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, 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? Well, until early this week, officials from both governments confirmed that a Lee-Trump meeting in Washington is being arranged, likely set for around July 21st. But over the past few days, there's been some uncertainty after Secretary of State Marco Rubio's two-day visit mid-month was cancelled. His visit presumably would have finalized crucial details ahead of the bilateral summit. Amid speculation that Rubio will have to prioritize the U.S. leader's summit with his Israeli counterpart first, the foreign ministry said there was sufficient explanation for the cancellation, and that the two sides are still communicating closely to make the leaders' summit happen. The clock's ticking ahead of the July 9th deadline imposed by Trump on renegotiating America's tariffs on South Korea's foremost industrial goods. That will likely top the summit agenda. Many also expect the U.S. will demand Seoul pay more towards security, to cover areas outside their existing cost-sharing agreement, such as the deployment of U.S. strategic assets. Another issue could possibly be North Korea, as Lee moves to lower tensions and Trump signals interest in resuming engagement with the North. Q4. And now there's also a question mark over whether President Lee will accept an invitation by the Chinese government to attend a major military parade. That's right. That's going to be a massive military parade in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, and the numerical significance of 80 years a new decade will make the event itself all the more meaningful. The 70th-anniversary event in 2015 was attended by then-South Korean President Park Geun-hye. But of course, this may raise eyebrows in Washington, amid its strategic rivalry with Beijing so as a presidential official said Wednesday, it is a difficult decision. But with the Lee Administration seeking pragmatism, and as South Korea will host both the U.S. and China this year at the APEC Summit in Gyeongju, some experts say Seoul should show courtesy to all sides. "It's ideal if Trump goes too; if both attend, so much the better. But if Trump declines, then Korea has to decide. There's still time, so we need careful thought. This celebration only happens once in about ten years. Personally, I believe Korea should take a bold approach and take up that opportunity to improve Korea–China relations in preparation for APEC." If Lee is able to hold a summit with Trump first, and possibly with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba, this could clear the path for him to travel to Beijing afterwards. According to my sources, talks are ongoing with Japan to resume the so-called shuttle of leaders between Seoul and Tokyo soon. Let's see what happens later this month. Thanks Soo-young for coming in today.