HANKYOREH

APLN Vice Chair Chung-in Moon writes for Hankyoreh and points out that if the standoff between the opposing sides worsens to the point where not only North Korea but also China and Russia are aiming missiles and nuclear weapons at Seoul, it is South Koreans who will have to stand on the front lines of that conflict.

During the period of the summit, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol remarked, “Cooperation between NATO and partners in the Indo-Pacific who share universal values is what our age demands for the sake of global freedom and prosperity. Collusion between forces that advocate attempts to change the status quo through force represent a direct challenge to the peace and freedom built by the free world.”

Yoon’s comment amounts to blanket criticism of North Korea, China and Russia. While it could be dismissed as puffed-up platitudes for a grand gathering of friendly nations, the leader of a country must not forget that all his remarks bear diplomatic import.

It can’t be wise for Korea’s self-styled champions of freedom to stir up more hostility. If the standoff between the opposing sides worsens until not only North Korea but also China and Russia are aiming missiles and nuclear weapons at Seoul, it is South Koreans who will have to stand on the front lines of that conflict.

The open letter by 60 American scholars speaks loud and clear: foreign affairs and security policy ought to be pragmatically oriented on public lives and safety. If that’s true of the US, which considers itself the strongest country in the world, the implications for South Korea are all too clear.

It’s essential that our foreign policy be grounded in a clear-eyed understanding of reality and appraisal of the objective situation.

The full article can be accessed here.

Image: Wikimedia Commons