Lee Jae Myung's ‘pragmatic' diplomacy comes into focus
Conservatives accuse Lee of neglecting national interests, while experts note possible consideration of China ties and missed arms export opportunities
President Lee Jae Myung's decision not to attend the NATO summit in the Netherlands has brought his 'pragmatic' foreign policy approach into renewed focus, while triggering attacks from conservatives.
Lee had considered participating in the NATO summit but decided not to, his office said Sunday, in the face of "various domestic issues and uncertainties due to developments in the Middle East."
Following the announcement by Lee's office, NATO revealed that a meeting between the NATO Secretary General, US President Donald Trump and the leaders of NATO partners in the Indo-Pacific region is set to take place at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday in The Hague. Lee's office has declined to comment on whether Lee was aware of the event before his decision not to fly to the Netherlands.
Skipping the NATO trip deprives Lee of a chance to sit down for talks with Trump, as well as with leaders of European countries that South Korea sees as partners in the defense industry and regional security, prompting criticism from the conservative main opposition People Power Party.
"We are facing a serious diplomatic test due to the US precision strike on Iran's nuclear sites, the heightened tensions in the Middle East, and President Lee's decision not to attend the NATO summit," said Rep. Kim Seok-ki, a lawmaker with the People Power Party on Monday.
"We express deep concern that the ruling bloc's response is 'pragmatic diplomacy' in name only. ... They are not fulfilling their responsibility for our national interests."
Rep. Kim Eun-hye of the People Power Party also told reporters that the decision taken soon after the power transition to the liberals "will likely raise concerns among NATO member states" that South Korea might be a weak link in the Western bloc, and that Seoul might be factoring in the perceptions of "totalitarian states."
One expert suggested that Lee may have considered South Korea's ties with China in his decision, while also noting his interest in confidence-building with North Korea — though signs of reengagement remain limited, aside from his move to halt propaganda loudspeakers along the inter-Korean border.
"President Lee decided not to attend given that the focus of Trump's attention is on Iran and allied defense spending, rather than on a tariff deal with Seoul, and perhaps also out of concern that a strongly worded joint statement could offend China," said Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.
"Seoul will be on alert for how conflict in the Middle East reverberates in Asia," Easley added.
While most observers will understand that Lee has pressing domestic priorities, including staffing his new administration, Easley said, "not attending the NATO summit isn't only a missed opportunity to help defend the international order by supporting Ukraine and coordinating responses to conflict in the Middle East."
Another expert called Lee's decision not to attend the NATO summit a "mistake" because his presence there could have convinced Seoul's Western partners that he values Europe and understands the connection between security in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic regions.
"This is diplomatic low-hanging fruit that Lee is not grabbing," said Mason Richey, professor of international politics at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
"It's also a chance to further cement South Korea's role as an arms exporter to Europe, and perhaps make some connection with European leaders of states who could become future South Korean weapons customers," he added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
2 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Lee, Indonesian president agree to bolster economic, defense cooperation
President Lee Jae Myung and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto agreed Monday to deepen cooperation in trade, technology and the defense and arms industries, the presidential office said. In their first phone call since Lee's inauguration earlier this month, the two leaders discussed ways to further advance the Special Strategic Partnership established between the two countries in 2017. "The two leaders agreed to continue strengthening strategic cooperation across a range of sectors, including trade and investment, advanced future industries driven by digital and green transitions, as well as the defense and the arms industry," presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing. During the conversation, Lee invited Prabowo to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, set to take place later this year in South Korea's Gyeongju. The two leaders agreed to maintain close communication and work together to further develop bilateral ties and contribute to regional peace and stability, according to the office. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
5 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Korean students seek "digital undertakers" amid US visa social media screening
The US Embassy in Seoul resumed accepting applications for student and exchange visas but requested that applicants make any private social media accounts public, prompting some South Korean students pursuing studies in the US to seek the help of "digital undertakers." On June 20, the US Embassy in Seoul announced that it will resume taking in applications for its F, M and J nonimmigrant visas, saying it will conduct 'thorough vetting' of applicants' presence on social media. In a notice posted on X, the embassy announced that all applicants should 'adjust the privacy setting on all their social media profiles to 'public.'' Seeing the US Embassy's recent announcement, 28-year-old Kim, who wished to be identified only by her last name, told The Korea Herald that she felt 'stressed,' as it felt like the recent announcement was just another 'daunting task' she was required to complete as part of her preparation in pursuing a Ph.D. at a US university. 'I've been preparing to further my studies by applying to a graduate school in the US for about a year and a half -- writing up personal statements, taking language proficiency exams and speaking with professors at schools I was interested in,' said Kim. 'I felt like I was ready this year and was going to apply. But knowing that my social media accounts and the stuff I posted in the past could be an obstacle to me studying in the States and not something like my school grades, is really stressful to me.' While the US has mandated that visa applicants list their social media accounts on their applications since 2019, Kim stated that the screenings conducted under the current administration feel 'different' to her. 'I don't know how strictly they handled the screening of social media accounts in the past, but seeing the current administration's stance against illegal immigration and national security, this year feels different, more intense,' Kim continued. 'I've looked into online reputation firms in Korea to help me permanently delete data that could work against my favor, as I've voiced opinions on political and social issues on social media in the past that oppose the current US administration's stance.' Often called digital undertakers, these services are offered by online reputation firms and specialize in curating or scrubbing an individual's online presence by removing posts, photos or comments that may be considered controversial in the eyes of others -- such as employers, or more recently, immigration authorities. Kim isn't the only Korean student seeking such services in Korea. According to a representative from Santa Cruise Company, an online reputation firm offering digital undertaker services, the firm has begun receiving more requests from clients claiming they were planning to apply to schools in the US in recent months. 'While personal requests we received from individual clients were mostly springing from those wanting to delete personal data before applying to a company, these days, we've seen a growing number of individual clients seeking assistance before they apply for a visa to study in the US,' said the representative. With the cost of the company's services ranging from 100,000 won ($72) to millions of won depending on the number of posts the client asks to delete, the company representative added that some of the posts the firm deleted 'ranged from politically sensitive content to some that were rather personal, including posts confessing personal struggles or photos of them partying, to avoid damaging their image.'
Korea Herald
5 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Who is Lee Jong-seok, Seoul's new spy chief?
Lee Jong-seok, the new director of the National Intelligence Service, is a North Korea strategist and scholar who played key roles during the era of inter-Korean rapprochement in the early 2000s. Taking his oath at the start of his confirmation hearing on June 19, Lee picked "building a peaceful and safe South Korea, founded on two pillars of cooperation and a strong military," as one of his priorities as the head of the country's top spy agency. Lee said he saw it as his job to support the success of a "national interest-based, pragmatic diplomacy" -- the phrase that has come to define the new administration's foreign policy vision. Speaking to The Korea Herald after his confirmation hearing, Lee said, "reducing inter-Korean tensions and restoring dialogue with North Korea" is the "demand of the people." Lee was the unification minister and deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council under another liberal president, the late Roh Moo-hyun. Lee was a key national strategist in the Roh administration. He was appointed Roh's minister of unification in February 2006 to oversee inter-Korean affairs, only to resign in December that same year in the aftermath of North Korea's first nuclear test. At the confirmation hearing, Lee was grilled over whether he thinks the broad economic assistance to North Korea, given over two liberal administrations under presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Dae-jung, had been helpful to the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Lee said he believes economic aid to North Korea "had helped thaw strained ties," which was met by protests from the opposition lawmakers who said that it had only funded Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs. Lee has been a scholar of North Korea for over 30 years. His main area of concentration was the Workers' Party of Korea. When Lee was not in public office, he served as a policy adviser to the unification and national defense ministries. He also worked at top research institutions in the country, including the Sejong Institute, where he stood as an emeritus senior fellow up until his appointment. He was a visiting professor at Beijing University in 2017-18. At the confirmation hearing, Lee denied accusations of being a "North Korea dove." Calling himself a "pragmatist," Lee said he did not subscribe to any particular schools of thought or associate with particular factions when it comes to North Korea. "I have followed the principle of pragmatism throughout my professional life," he said. Lee's past public remarks from years back came under scrutiny at the confirmation hearing, including his referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as "someone who has the qualities of both a CEO and an absolute ruler," speaking at the Jeju Forum in June 2021. When asked by an opposition lawmaker if he considered the North Korean leader to be a dictator, Lee replied, "He is a dictator." Lee was also asked to elaborate on his opposition to the introduction of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system for defending against North Korean missiles, or the signing of the General Security of Military Information Agreement, the information sharing pact with Japan. Lee said extra THAAD deployments required a "careful consideration of factors such as South Korea's national interests and the South Korea-US joint defense posture." As for GSOMIA, Lee said that as the scheme is "already agreed upon and in place, it should be complied with." 13 trips to North Korea According to the record he submitted to the National Assembly, Lee had been to North Korea at least 13 times. His first visit to Pyongyang was in June 2000 for the inter-Korean summit. In 2006, he visited North Korea five times during his time as unification minister, for a ministerial summit and other business, including two site visits to the joint industrial park in Kaesong. His last trip to North Korea was in December 2018 for a ceremony marking the start of the construction of coastal railways connecting the North and South. Six former spy chiefs of South Korea had visited North Korea while they were in office, the latest one being Suh Hoon. Suh, who was the NIS director for former President Moon Jae-in, was part of the Seoul delegation for the 2018 inter-Korean summit. Long history with president President Lee Jae Myung and his new spy chief go back a long way. The two are believed to have first met around 2010 when the president had just been elected mayor of Seongnam. The NIS director worked for the president at his Seongnam mayoral office as well as his Gyeonggi Province gubernatorial office. The NIS director was part of the president's 2022 and 2025 campaigns.
