[Yoon's Diplomatic Battle] ① After Many Twists and Turns, Visit to the US... A Test of Korea's Diplomatic and Economic Power

Diplomatic Controversies Unfolding One After Another Within Two Months Since Forced Labor Issue
Approval Ratings and Ruling Party's Position Hinge on US Visit Outcome
Security and Economic Alliance Diversification and Segmentation, Optimizing Korea-US Relations

The Yoon Suk-yeol administration's biggest diplomatic event will take place in Washington DC, USA, starting on the 24th. Since his presidential campaign, President Yoon, who had promised to strengthen the alliance with the United States in the fields of security, advanced technology, and international cooperation, now faces the most important moment to prove South Korea's diplomatic and economic power on the global stage. Having held a South Korea-US summit just ten days after his inauguration last year to lay the foundation of the alliance, President Yoon is expected to concretize 'extended deterrence' and the economic security alliance through this state visit to the United States.

According to the Presidential Office on the 21st, South Korea and the United States have agreed to strengthen their alliance in advanced technology through this summit. Strengthening the cyber intelligence alliance is expected to be one of the main agenda items of the South Korea-US summit. Beyond controversies over US intelligence agencies' wiretapping and eavesdropping, the plan is to expand cooperation not only in military and security alliances but also in supply chains, advanced science and technology, and corporate investment attraction. Additionally, agenda items are expected to include ▲ concretization of extended deterrence ▲ cooperation in the space sector ▲ strengthening strategic partnerships for stable supply chain construction ▲ support for nurturing talent in advanced technology fields, among others.

Economic Diplomacy Keyword: Attracting Investment from Advanced Companies

The keywords for economic diplomacy are aligned with supply chains, advanced science and technology, and attracting investment from advanced companies. The Presidential Office explained regarding cooperation in advanced industry supply chains, "Global supply chains are being reorganized around allied countries with advanced technology focused on safety," adding, "It is a value alliance and economically closely linked, so cooperation in advanced technology supply chains with the United States is very important."

Cooperation in advanced science and technology is a field where synergy is expected through collaboration with South Korea, which has strengths in manufacturing. Plans to strengthen cooperation in advanced technology fields such as advanced semiconductors, bio, space, quantum, and AI (artificial intelligence) are expected to be discussed. The schedule announced so far is also focused on the advanced technology alliance. President Yoon will carry out four events in Washington DC, including an investment declaration ceremony and a South Korea-US business roundtable. During his visit to Boston, home to a bio cluster, he will engage in discussions with digital and bio scholars at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and deliver a speech at Harvard University.

The reason President Yoon is leading the largest economic delegation since the government’s launch is here. With 122 members including the heads of the four major conglomerates?Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Eui-sun, and LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo?President Yoon plans to focus on sales diplomacy during this visit to the US and collaborate with them to expand exports. On the afternoon of the 19th, Chief Presidential Secretary for Economic Affairs Choi Sang-mok held a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office, stating, "A large-scale economic delegation of 122 people led by the private sector will accompany the president on this state visit," and predicted, "Together with the 'No. 1 salesperson president,' we will concretize economic-centered summit diplomacy on site."

Frequent Diplomatic Controversies... The Challenge of Rebounding from Falling Approval Ratings

There are variables. President Yoon, who has faced consecutive controversies over diplomatic issues in just the past couple of months, must secure tangible benefits in key areas such as diplomacy, security, and economy through this visit to the US. The political sphere views the outcome of this visit as having a significant impact not only on President Yoon’s approval ratings but also on the ruling party’s position ahead of the general elections and the government’s implementation of national agendas.

The South Korea-Japan summit held last month for the first time in 12 years was the biggest cause of President Yoon’s approval rating dropping to the 30% range. Issues such as the Japanese forced labor compensation problem through third-party payment methods and the summit itself acted as negative factors for President Yoon’s approval ratings. This is also why references to Japan and diplomatic relations rank highest among reasons for both positive and negative evaluations of the president’s job performance in various opinion polls.

Moreover, even after President Yoon’s visit to Japan, controversies over Japanese textbook historical distortions and Fukushima contaminated water and seafood continued, dimming the results of the South Korea-Japan summit. Especially regarding the summit, related follow-up reports by Japanese media on Dokdo and Fukushima seafood issues continued, and the South Korean government repeatedly denied these reports, leading to criticism of the overall government-level diplomatic capability.

During the preparation process for the South Korea-US summit, the omission of reports led to the replacement of Kim Sung-han, the National Security Office chief. In his resignation statement, former National Security Office chief Kim said, "I hope the controversy caused by me will no longer be a burden on diplomacy and national administration," but avoided detailed comments on the controversy and burden. This was the moment when the Presidential Office’s diplomatic confusion expanded into controversies over 'information silos' and 'internal friction.'

The consecutive US wiretapping controversies also became a factor that could extend to the South Korea-US summit. The Presidential Office drew a line by stating that it will not be addressed as an agenda item and expressed the position that "we have agreed to turn this into an opportunity for a turnaround, build a trusting relationship, and make the summit more substantial and fruitful."

Meanwhile, President Yoon’s publicly disclosed remarks about the possibility of military support for Ukraine became another variable in the South Korea-US summit. The diplomatic community is paying attention to the timing when the South Korean government, which had so far refused weapons support from the US and other Western countries, opened the possibility of 'military support.' It is interpreted as President Yoon’s intention to secure tangible benefits in economic and security fields by responding to the US’s demands.

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