hankyoreh

The Blue House seen behind Gwanghwamun Gate during the third weekly candlelight demonstration in central Seoul

The election of Donald Trump as US president constitutes a challenge to South Korea’s foreign policy and security. If Seoul manages to make the right response to Trump’s foreign policy approach of “America First,” this could even be a good opportunity for South Korea.

While the greatest adjustments to American foreign policy will occur regarding Europe, Russia and the Middle East, considerable change is also expected in East Asia. In some form or another, the policy of rebalancing to Asia and the Pacific backed by the Obama administration will be adjusted as well.

What is most certain is that Trump is very likely to reduce American involvement when the direct benefit to the US is not obvious. This coincides with his position that regional problems should be dealt with by the countries in those regions. This position has some degree of historical merit, since it corresponds to the movement toward a multipolar world.

South Korea has been too dependent on the US in its foreign policy and security. This dependence has become even worse under the current administration of President Park Geun-hye. In recent years, it is fair to say that Seoul has looked solely to the US and has blindly adhered to American policy.

One of the best examples of this has been South Korea‘s policy toward North Korea, which has consisted entirely of making shows of force and cranking up pressure and sanctions while cutting off all contact. The US has gotten its way in growing trilateral security cooperation with South Korea and Japan as well as on the issue of the comfort women for the imperial Japanese army. The same holds true for Seoul’s decision to allow the THAAD missile defense system to be deployed on the Korean Peninsula and its plan to purchase a huge amount of American weaponry. The delay of the transfer of wartime operational control of South Korean troops is also a consequence of this dependence upon the US.

for which one million demonstrators came out to call on President Park Geun-hye to resign

The results have not been positive. The nuclear issue and inter-Korean relations are much worse than before, and South Korea’s relations with China are deteriorating. South Korea’s apparent incorporation into the US-Japan alliance as a junior partner is one example of the country‘s shrinking autonomy in the areas of foreign policy and security.

Admittedly, the US plays an important role in South Korean foreign policy and security, and South Korea needs a strong alliance with the US. That said, this alliance is a means to an end, and not the end itself. The US will not fix South Korea’s problems for it, nor does it place South Korea‘s interests above its own. That’s also what Trump has emphasized time and time again. Overdependence and blind faith will only hold South Korea back and further aggravate its foreign policy and security problems.

Now is the time for South Korea to readjust its relationship with the US after making a rational calculation of what South Korea is able to do, what it ought to do and what it can get from the US. The first issues to think about are resolving the nuclear issue and securing peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia. Trump has never offered a specific plan toward this end, and it’s unclear whether he even cares to do so. Reducing South Korea’s dependence upon the US and taking charge of the situation is no longer an option - it is a necessity.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]