Moon Jung-in "Korea Should Focus More on the ROK-US Alliance than China"

Revealed at the International Symposium on Korean Peninsula Peace Policy

Professor Emeritus Jeong-in Moon of Yonsei University is discussing "The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election and the Korean Peninsula" with former U.S. State Department North Korea nuclear envoy Robert Gallucci and Harry Kazianis, Director of Korean Studies at the Center for the National Interest, who participated via online video at the "2020 International Symposium on Korean Peninsula Peace Policy" held at Yonsei University in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul on the 10th.

Moon Chung-in, Special Advisor to the President on Unification, Foreign Affairs, and National Security, stated on the 10th that South Korea should place greater emphasis on the ROK-US alliance rather than China amid the new Cold War phase between the US and China.

At the '2020 International Symposium on Peace Policy on the Korean Peninsula' held at Yonsei University's Baekyang Nuri Grand Ballroom that day, Special Advisor Moon responded to a moderator's question about the impact of the US-China confrontation on South Korea's trade and security.

He said, "South Korea will be in a difficult position during the US-China confrontation," adding, "The US can be said to be South Korea's only ally, and China is a strategic partner, so both China and the US are necessary."

He continued, "However, more attention should be paid to the ROK-US alliance rather than strategic partners," and stated, "The scenario we want is for the US and China to avoid a hostile relationship in this new Cold War."

Participants at the symposium anticipated that the Biden administration's China policy would be more moderate compared to the Donald Trump administration.

Robert Gallucci, former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, said, "I think the Biden administration will take a step back compared to now," and predicted, "It will be a way to engage China rather than antagonize it."

Harry Kazianis, Director of Korean Affairs at the US Center for the National Interest, said, "The US should take a strategic approach toward China."

He explained, "Rather than forming an overall hostile relationship with China, the US should manage China by setting 'red lines' focused on specific issues such as the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Taiwan geopolitical matters."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.