Yoon Suk-yeol was elected as the 20th President of the Republic of Korea.
The reactions of neighboring countries to this have been quite remarkable.
This time I would like tentatively to share the insights of Mr. Masatoshi Mutoh, former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Korea.
The United States hopes that the Republic of Korea will take a step toward cooperation in the "Quad" security arrangement among the four countries of the United States, Japan, India, and Australia.
China, on the other hand, is concerned about an anti-Chinese president, and North Korea has threatened that military conflict and war are the only options.
In his policies toward the U.S., China, and North Korea, President Moon Jae-in has undermined South Korea's security by failing to understand the geopolitical position in which South Korea finds itself.
Yoon Suk-yeol's foreign policy will be very different from this.
However, any change in Yoon Suk-yeol's policies toward China and North Korea could be resented by China and North Korea, so it is essential for Yoon Suk-yeol, who has a weak base of power, to do so with the understanding and support of the public.
However, with the recent situation in Ukraine, the people of South Korea probably also understand how dangerous an unprotected national defense system can be.
The South Korean public has been reluctant to believe that their country is facing imminent danger and has therefore been lax in its stance toward North Korea.
However, this perception of the current situation is not based on objective analysis, but rather on assumptions.
Therefore, after the inauguration of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, it is important to expect the South Korean people to understand the current geopolitics of East Asia objectively, and for Japan and the United States to support the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.
North Korea's recent insistence on nuclear missiles should be seen as an attempt to target South Korea. .....
Source: Diamond Online posted on March 15.
