Bolton Harshly Criticizes US-ROK Joint Statement... "Drifting Under China's Hegemony"

WSJ Op-Ed: "When the US and Korea Meet, There Is No Bad News"

▲John Bolton [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Former White House National Security Council (NSC) advisor John Bolton harshly criticized the outcome of the South Korea-U.S. summit between President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden on the 21st (local time), saying, "It shows that the U.S. still has no intention of dealing with China and North Korea."

In an op-ed titled "There Is No Bad News When the U.S. and South Korea Meet," published in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 23rd (local time), Bolton wrote, "If the strength of the alliance is measured only by the length of the joint statement issued when the leaders meet, the South Korea-U.S. alliance is indeed strong," but he pointed out, "However, the summit between President Biden and President Moon did not produce any substantive results."

He also noted that domestic issues such as COVID-19 stood out more than the core foreign strategy agenda between South Korea and the U.S.

In particular, he criticized the lack of a clear and firm stance from the Biden administration on China and North Korea during this summit, evaluating the meeting with President Moon as "another missed opportunity."

He analyzed, "The two countries face two important strategic issues: first, North Korea's nuclear and conventional military threats; second, the rising philosophical, political-military, and economic threats from China in the Indo-Pacific region," adding, "Effectively addressing these challenges is central to all efforts for the U.S. to refocus on the Asia-Pacific region."

He assessed, "Although more than four months have passed since the Biden administration took office, as shown in this summit, it still has not presented a blueprint for strategy in the Indo-Pacific region."

Bolton stated, "More importantly, the talks between President Moon and President Biden still reveal that they focus more on rhetoric than substance," pointing out, "For example, U.S. officials repeatedly claimed that Biden's North Korea policy differs from his predecessors', but they were reluctant to say what will actually happen."

Additionally, Bolton criticized, "The Biden-Moon joint statement only indirectly mentioned China," saying, "Treating China merely as a participant in the Six-Party Talks on North Korea's nuclear issue or as a disinterested mediator ignores the essence of China's role historically?from the Kim family's dictatorship to the present reality." He added, "China has long been hiding in the background, and the U.S. and other countries have willingly tolerated this."

Bolton also evaluated, "Although the U.S. and South Korea have different methodologies, Korean Peninsula unification is the ultimate policy goal for both countries," and said, "China could be important in realizing that." However, he criticized, "But Xi Jinping shows little interest in creating 'one Korea.'"

He pointed out that Chinese President Xi Jinping has enjoyed the distraction effect of North Korea's nuclear threat to South Korea, the U.S., and Japan while pursuing China-centric goals without paying any price for decades, and suggested that the Moon-Biden summit indicated no change in this situation.

He said change will only come when the Chinese government is forced to take responsibility for North Korea. Former advisor Bolton stated, "Biden must recognize that North Korea's threat, especially to Japan and the U.S., is close to China," adding, "China can no longer be allowed to evade the consequences of its actions, and South Korea must play an important role." He emphasized, "This is exactly the point where President Moon and South Korean leaders need to start strategic planning."

Regarding South Korea's potential Quad membership, Bolton said, "South Korea is still drifting under the increasing Chinese hegemony, separate from the Quad, which is still in its early stages, and this seems to be Xi Jinping's intention for East Asia," but added, "If South Korea is reluctant, there is no need to join the Quad." He also mentioned that Taiwan or Singapore could possibly join.

He stressed, "If North Korea continues to pursue nuclear weapons, the likelihood that Japan and other countries will seek nuclear arms increases," emphasizing, "It is important to make this clear to China."

Former advisor Bolton is the author of "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir," and served as the U.S. National Security Council advisor from 2018 to 2019 and as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006.

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