"Sanctions Performance Must Be Evaluated"... Lee In-young Reveals Subtle Differences in Perspective with the U.S.

The South Korea-US Leaders' Call Took Place... But a 'Temperature Gap' Emerges Among Working-Level Officials

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] With the first phone call between the South Korean and U.S. presidents successfully taking place, concerns about cracks in the alliance or the exclusion of U.S. policy priorities are expected to be somewhat alleviated. However, since the Biden administration appears to be completely overhauling the existing North Korea policy framework, the temperature gap with the South Korean government?which emphasizes ‘starting from the Singapore Declaration,’ i.e., inheriting the Trump-style North Korea policy?has not entirely disappeared and could become an obstacle in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue going forward.

Concerns about differences in views or discord between South Korea and the U.S. regarding North Korea are also reflected in Minister of Unification Lee In-young’s somewhat negative stance on additional sanctions against North Korea. This is notable given that the new U.S. administration has even hinted at the possibility of ‘additional sanctions,’ while Minister Lee stated that “it is time to evaluate the results of the sanctions.”

At a press club foreign correspondents’ meeting on the afternoon of the 3rd, when asked about U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s remarks on ‘additional sanctions,’ Minister Lee responded, “If we are to talk about additional sanctions, it is time to evaluate what results the previous sanctions have produced,” showing a negative position.

This is interpreted as a perception that sanctions have not been effective in achieving the goal of denuclearization. Last month, a senior official from the Ministry of Unification also expressed doubts about the effectiveness, saying, “Despite considerable time passing, sanctions have not produced results, and North Korea is prepared to endure significantly.” On the other hand, Secretary Blinken suggested a comprehensive review of North Korea policy in a media interview, mentioning both additional sanctions and diplomatic incentives simultaneously. Professor Hwang Jae-ho of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies analyzed, “While this is a statement the Minister of Unification can make, it reveals a certain difference in perspective from the U.S.”

Of course, Minister Lee also referred to Secretary Blinken’s hearing remarks that “humanitarian concerns will be considered even during sanctions,” saying, “We expect positive effects from humanitarian cooperation even under sanctions,” suggesting the possibility of coordination between South Korea and the U.S.

Minister Lee also presented a prospect that the Korean Peninsula peace process could become a link for U.S.-China cooperation. In response to a related question from a reporter, he said, “It is not desirable for U.S.-China relations to be purely competitive in all aspects,” and added, “Regarding denuclearization, which is one of the pillars of the Korean Peninsula peace process, I understand that not only the U.S. but also China is in agreement.” This implies that the U.S. and China could cooperate in the denuclearization process of North Korea.

However, there is a skeptical view about whether the U.S. and China, who are competing for hegemony, have room to cooperate through the Korean Peninsula peace process. Professor Shin Yul of Myongji University’s Department of Political Science and Diplomacy said, “The root of U.S.-China conflict is economic issues, but the Korean Peninsula peace process is completely unrelated to economic issues,” adding, “It seems to lack logical validity.”

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