Moon Jung-in "The International Community Stands at the Boundary Between Cold Peace and a New Cold War"

[Asia Economy Reporter Inho Yoo] "The international community is currently standing on the borderline between cold peace and a new Cold War. If the world falls into the abyss of a new Cold War, not only the United States and China but also most countries including Korea will face severe difficulties."

Interview_Moon Jung-in, Chairman of Sejong Institute (Conversation with Professor Hwang Jae-ho of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies)./Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Moon Jung-in, Chairman of the Sejong Institute, recently held a three-person dialogue-style interview with Asia Economy contributor Professor Jaeho Hwang of the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies International Studies Department and a reporter from this publication, expressing concerns about the international community moving toward a new Cold War era due to the deepening US-China conflict.

Chairman Moon assessed that the four years of the Joe Biden administration will be a critical period determining whether the US and China enter a new Cold War. He said, "In the 1980s, when Japan began challenging the US economy, 'Japan bashing' emerged, and now 'China bashing' is newly appearing. In the US, regardless of the reality of the China threat theory, there is a tendency to demonize and antagonize China."

He added, "(Due to) internal political reasons, political elites, intellectuals, and opinion leaders are amplifying rather than blocking this, and if this trend intensifies, the possibility of a clash of civilizations will increase in the future."

However, Chairman Moon firmly stated that there is no real China threat to us. He pointed out, "Many around us mention the China threat theory, but if asked to specify the China threat, they cannot provide an answer. That is the reality of the China threat theory," and "Currently, China is neither posing a military threat to Korea nor providing weapons or logistical support to North Korea."

He continued, "We do not feel threatened in issues like the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea, or freedom of navigation," and "Of course, the economic threat residue against us after the THAAD retaliation has not yet disappeared, but I do not think this significantly threatens our security," he analyzed.

Moon Jung-in, Chairman of the Sejong Institute (left), and Hwang Jae-ho, Professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, in conversation. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Regarding the argument that Korea should side with the US if China threatens the US based on the Korea-US alliance, Chairman Moon expressed a different opinion.

He said, "There will not be many citizens who agree with the claim that we should view (China's threat to the US) as a direct threat to us and take a hostile stance against China," and "Since both the US and China are important countries in terms of security and economy, we should continue the traditional policy of alliance with the US and strategic cooperative partnership with China."

In particular, Chairman Moon emphasized that the Korean government's China diplomacy strategy should become more cautious at times like this.

He diagnosed, "China does not oppose Korea maintaining an alliance with the US, and the US holds the same position. Regarding issues like the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, rather than making unilateral judgments and unnecessarily turning China into an enemy in advance, it is necessary to observe the possibilities and withhold judgment."

On the role of the international community amid the deepening US-China conflict, Chairman Moon said, "Middle powers sharing the same will, including Korea, must cooperate to prevent the emergence of a new Cold War," and "This should be the responsibility of all of us at this stage."

Having served as a special advisor on unification, diplomacy, and security for the Moon Jae-in administration, he offered advice on our government's diplomatic policy.

Chairman Moon said, "Excessive focus on a particular major power makes creative diplomacy difficult, so more balanced and imaginative, even radical diplomacy is needed," and "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should establish and implement policies, while the Blue House should verify whether these policies align with the president's policy goals and play a role in coordinating with other ministries."

Meanwhile, Chairman Moon recently published a new book titled Moon Jung-in's Future Scenarios, presenting a diagnosis of the new Cold War era along with challenging future scenarios for Korean diplomacy.

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