| This week, we congratulate APLN member Jina Kim on her appointment as Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea. Eunjung Lim argues that South Korea’s business leaders must speak up against nuclear weapons development to safeguard the country’s economic future and export credibility, and Fei Su makes an assessment of the deepening DPRK-Russia strategic cooperation and its long-term implications for DPRK’s military posture.
As always, we highlight recent activities from our network, including analyses on South Korea’s foreign policy approaches, Doomsday Clock reflections, and Malaysia’s AI architecture challenges. |
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We are delighted to share that Prof. Jina Kim, a valued member of APLN, has been appointed as the Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea. This is a significant recognition of her dedication and expertise, and we extend our heartfelt congratulations on this well-deserved appointment. APLN looks forward to seeing her continued contributions to regional and global affairs in this important role.
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Why South Korea’s Business Giants Must Say No to the Bomb
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Eunjung Lim argues that South Korea’s recent achievements in civilian nuclear exports underscore the necessity of upholding its non-proliferation commitments, cautioning that any move toward nuclear armament could undermine economic growth, international trust, and domestic stability. President Lee Jae-myung’s pragmatic strategy – linking economic revival with alliance-based security – merits broad support, especially from the business sector, which should publicly oppose nuclear weapons development to protect Korea’s global credibility and economic interests.
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From Tactical To Strategic:
The DPRK-Russia Military Cooperation
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Fei Su examines the growing defence and security collaboration between North Korea and Russia, formalised by their 2024 Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The deployment of North Korean troops to Russia and potential technology transfers, ranging from space systems to tactical nuclear capabilities, mark a significant boost to Pyongyang’s military posture. She warns that this deepening alliance could reshape regional security dynamics in both Europe and the Indo-Pacific, with implications likely to persist regardless of how the war in Ukraine unfolds.
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APLN has over 160 members from 22 countries in the Asia-Pacific.
Each week we feature their latest contributions
to global and regional security debates.
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| Chung-in Moon, APLN Vice Chair, was interviewed by Beijing Daily, where he discussed how South Korean President Lee Jae-myung faces an urgent choice between two paths: maintaining the status quo by carefully balancing South Korea’s alliance with the US and its strategic partnership with China, or pursuing broader international cooperation through regionalism to revive the multilateral order in Northeast Asia. [This article is written in Chinese.] |
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| Manpreet Sethi, APLN Acting Director, wrote for the Centre for Policy Research, United Nations University, on measures to avert catastrophe, urging collective action to preserve existing arms control treaties, strengthen global dialogue, and empower new initiatives such as the proposed UN Special Envoy for Future Generations to promote risk reduction. |
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| Cheong Wook-sik, Director of the Hankyoreh Peace Institute and Director of the Peace Network, argued that South Korea should pursue a bigger role by fostering regional dialogue based on shared fears to reduce hostility and promote peace, rather than simply aligning with US military strategies that escalate tensions around the Taiwan Strait. |
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| Elina Noor, Senior Fellow in the Asia Programme at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote for the South China Morning Post and noted that AI sovereignty remains difficult for many countries due to market centralisation and resource disparities. Southeast Asian nations, in particular, must critically assess how much autonomy they can realistically achieve amid geopolitical pressures. |
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