In foreign policy, Pres. Park “too obsessed with principles”

Posted on : 2014-07-15 12:13 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Speaking at forum in Seoul, experts criticize President for talking big but doing nothing to engage internationally
” a forum hosted by the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University and the Graduate School of International Studies at Hanyang University and sponsored by the Hankyoreh
” a forum hosted by the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University and the Graduate School of International Studies at Hanyang University and sponsored by the Hankyoreh

By Kim Oi-hyun, staff reporter

“The President Park Geun-hye administration is applying nuclear fundamentalism to North Korea and historical fundamentalism to Japan, without taking a single step forward,” the professor said.

Lee Won-deok, professor of international studies at Kookmin University, gave his assessment of the foreign policy of the Park Administration on July 14 at the President Hotel in downtown Seoul. Lee was a speaker at a policy debate titled “Changes in the Diplomatic Terrain in Northeast Asia and Korea’s Diplomatic Response,” hosted by the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University and the Graduate School of International Studies at Hanyang University and sponsored by the Hankyoreh.

Lee argued that, while North Korea and Japan reached a “generous” agreement recently, with Japan easing sanctions in exchange for North Korea agreeing to reopen an investigation into kidnapped Japanese, the South Korean government is too obsessed with principles, which is keeping it from exercising its full diplomatic potential.

During the debate on Monday, Lee sharply criticized Park’s foreign policy. “The Park administration has announced some great initiatives, but it is not moving forward with any of them. The Trust-building Process for the Korean Peninsula, the Peace and Cooperation Plan for Northeast Asia, and the Eurasia Initiative compose a single package, as well designed as a Russian nesting doll, but looking back at the past year and half, not a bit of progress has been made,” Lee said.

Lee also said that, rather than immediate issues, South Korea needs to view its relationship with Japan from the long-term perspective of unification of the Korean peninsula and emphasized the necessity of holding a summit with Japan in order to more quickly mend relations between Seoul and Tokyo.

Some participants at the debate asserted that negotiations between North Korea and Japan will help bring peace and stability to the Korean peninsula. This view conflicts with the position of the South Korean government, which is concerned that Japan may desert the US and South Korean united front on North Korean nuclear weapons.

“If the South Korean government clearly elaborates its grand strategy of bringing about inducing peaceful reform and opening in North Korea, establishing a framework for inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation, and abolishing nuclear weapons, the resumption of exchange between North Korea and Japan could be a positive asset [for South Korea],” said Park Young-jun, a professor at the Korea National Defense University.

However, Park placed a condition on this. “If the South Korean government wants to take advantage of the relationship between North Korea and Japan, it will need positive relations with Japan, and it will need to be in a position to engage in talks with North Korea,” Park said.

Considering that South Korea’s relations are strained both with North Korea and with Japan, Russia could provide a diplomatic solution, another participant suggested. “Considering that North Korea and Russia have been expanding collaboration recently, South Korea needs to play an aggressive role in the development of Siberia and collaboration in the border area with North Korea, Russia, and possibly even China,” said Jang Deok-jun, professor of international relations at Kookmin University.

It was in this context that other academics argued for South Korea to tread cautiously in its foreign policy toward Russia. “During the Ukraine crisis, the South Korean government issued a statement condemning Russia’s actions. The Russians that I have met since them have had a rather critical attitude toward South Korea,” said Moon Chung-in, professor of political science and foreign policy at Yonsei University.

 

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