[Yoon Suk-yeol Elected] Emphasizing Strengthening the Korea-US Alliance and Separating Politics and Economy Regarding China

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] The key phrase for President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's diplomacy and security policy is "confident diplomacy."

President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol receives a bouquet at the People Power Party's vote counting situation room set up at the National Assembly Library in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 10th. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

Amid rapidly changing international circumstances following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the confrontation between the U.S. and Russia and the escalating conflicts between the U.S. and China have made the next administration's diplomacy and security policy even more crucial.

Experts evaluate that President-elect Yoon's diplomacy and security policies sufficiently reflect the demands of the conservative faction disappointed with the Moon Jae-in administration's diplomacy and security policies.

◇ Strengthening the ROK-U.S. Alliance = President-elect Yoon believes that the central axis of the Korean Peninsula's diplomacy and security policy should be strengthening the ROK-U.S. alliance.

He envisions pursuing a comprehensive strategic alliance with the U.S. and actively participating in the U.S.-led reorganization of the international order to take the initiative on Korean Peninsula issues.

Regarding North Korea, he maintains the position that denuclearization is difficult to achieve if South Korea is led by North Korea. President-elect Yoon has shown strong rejection by describing the current administration's inter-Korean relations as a "master-servant relationship."

He also opposes the current administration's push for a declaration to formally end the Korean War. In this regard, through various channels, he expressed concerns that "if a political declaration like the end-of-war declaration is made first, the armistice management system or the United Nations Command could be easily undermined, and domestically, it could lead to public opinion favoring the reduction of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea."

He clarified his opposition to an end-of-war declaration without prior measures by stating, "If North Korea's denuclearization progresses irreversibly and a cooperative relationship is established, a peace agreement and an end-of-war declaration can certainly proceed together." This clearly establishes the principle of "denuclearization first, then end-of-war declaration."

A key official from President-elect Yoon's campaign on diplomacy and security said, "There needs to be a discussion first on whether pursuing an end-of-war declaration is appropriate and whether it can serve as an important means to bring about North Korea's substantive denuclearization," adding, "In a situation where North Korea's willingness to denuclearize is unclear, before playing the role of mediator, President-elect Yoon thinks we should first achieve strong security and a robust defense."

◇ Separating Politics and Economy in Relations with China = President-elect Yoon holds the view that in the U.S.-China hegemonic era, relations with China should separate politics and economics. Based on the principles of "mutual respect" and "separation of politics and economy," he plans to expand ROK-China cooperation focusing on the economy, public health, climate change, and cultural exchanges.

However, he has been criticized for the contradiction of clearly stating his intention to actively participate in the U.S. foreign policy focused on containing China while simultaneously aiming to strengthen relations with China. Critics question whether diplomacy separating politics and economy with China is possible amid the strengthening of "economic security," where the U.S. strongly demands a change from the "security reliance on the U.S., economic reliance on China" (Anmi Gyeongjung) policy.

Regarding improving ROK-Japan relations, he proposes restoring "shuttle diplomacy" between leaders. In this context, during the presidential election process, President-elect Yoon indicated a pragmatic approach by stating, "I will seek a comprehensive solution covering issues such as historical problems, economic cooperation, and security cooperation."

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