[Opinion] A Year When Diplomacy Is More Important Than Ever

Reflections on Minister Cho Taeyeol's New Year Address at the Foreign Affairs Association

For some time now, not only in international politics and defense but also in the economy, geopolitics and diplomacy have become crucial. The era of the U.S. containing China has arrived, leading to trade disputes, and the Russia-Ukraine war has resulted in global inflation. The U.S. is reorganizing the global supply chain centered on its allies in advanced technology and resource sectors. Europe aligns with the U.S., its ally, in the dynamics of international politics but takes a somewhat different stance in economic relations with China. It has become an era where one cannot properly analyze the economy without understanding geopolitics and diplomacy. The scene of Cho Tae-yeol, Minister of Foreign Affairs, attending the '2025 Economic Community New Year Meeting' held at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry on January 3 this year symbolically illustrates this.

Due to the inauguration of the first Trump administration and the Russia-Ukraine war, it is no longer possible to guarantee the 'era of globalization and peace.' On the 20th (local time), the second Trump administration was inaugurated. While Trump in 2019 was an unpredictable maverick, Trump in 2025 is perceived as a formidable person who has been through many trials and seems capable of anything.

After winning the presidential election, Trump mentioned the purchase of Greenland, a Danish territory with historical ties to the U.S., and regaining control over the Panama Canal. The egalitarian international order established after World War II and the principle of maintaining the status quo can no longer be assured. The multilateralism that seeks to solve common problems by creating norms and procedures through international organizations such as the United Nations (UN) is similarly uncertain.

In this context, Cho Tae-yeol’s 'New Year Address' at the Foreign Affairs Association on January 7 this year has caused a quiet ripple. While it also responded to criticism of the diplomatic stance and policies of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration over the past two and a half years, overall, it conveyed a sincere message about the path our diplomacy should take.

“Ahead of the inauguration of the new U.S. administration, uncertainty in the international order is increasing, and due to a transactional view of international relations, there are concerns that solidarity with traditional allies and partners, as well as the norm-based multilateral order, may be shaken. Not only we but also advanced countries that share our values share the same anxieties. There will certainly be countries attempting to expand their influence by exploiting this, and strategic competition among major powers will intensify accordingly.”

Especially with the inauguration of the second Trump administration, many important events for our country’s diplomacy will occur this year. In November, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) will be held in Gyeongju. The leaders of the 21 member countries will gather in one place to freely exchange opinions on issues, visions, and development strategies for the Asia-Pacific region. This year, our country is the chair, and next year China will take the chairmanship. By convention, the leader of the chair country for the following year naturally attends. Chinese President Xi Jinping has not visited Korea since 2014, but it appears that his visit to Korea will be realized after 11 years. “We intend to actively strive to use this opportunity wisely so that Korea-China relations can develop stably.”

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations with Japan. In the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, Korea and Japan are core countries along with India, Australia, and others. Even if historical issues with Japan pose obstacles, improving Korea-Japan relations and strengthening the Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral security system must be firmly pursued. “The potential for cooperation between the two countries and the challenges they jointly face are too great to stop or stagnate the hard-won improvement in Korea-Japan relations, especially on the precious occasion of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic normalization... This year, with Japan as the chair, we also aim to further activate Korea-Japan-China cooperation and establish it as a key regional consultative body.”

We are now in a period of great upheaval in the international political order, comparable to the transition between the Ming and Qing dynasties and the late 19th-century power struggles among great powers. “In this unprecedented era of geopolitical upheaval, agile diplomacy is more urgently needed than ever, yet our diplomacy is hampered by unprecedented domestic political conflicts.”

This year is extremely important diplomatically. Even if there is a regime change due to an early presidential election, we hope that the next president and diplomatic officials will do their utmost to protect national interests. The public must also recognize that this is not a time to be complacent amid political confrontation and division.

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