hankyoreh

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks over the phone with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson at his office in central Seoul’s Jongno District on March 14. (provided by the People Power Party)

The presidential transition committee for South Korea President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is considering sending special envoys to the US and European Union in early to mid-April. It is also reportedly leaning toward waiting until after Yoon’s inauguration to send special envoys to China and Japan.

We can understand wanting to strengthen the South Korea-US alliance and emphasize the economy and national security at a time when the international order is in such turmoil. But it’s troubling to see them placing so much less priority on sending special envoys to China, which is South Korea’s biggest trading partner and has a major influence on the Korean Peninsula’s political situation, and to Japan, a country we desperately need to mend our relationship with.

Even in comparison with the special envoy diplomacy practices of past presidents-elect, this approach seems skewed too far in the direction of prioritizing the US.

Current President Moon Jae-in, who took office without a transition committee, sent special envoys to the US, China, Japan, Russia, and the EU early in his term. His predecessor Park Geun-hye sent her very first special envoy delegation to China while still a president-elect.

The vacuum is especially noticeable when it comes to diplomacy with Beijing. Just five hours after his election was finalized early on the morning of March 10, Yoon had telephone conversations first with US President Joe Biden, and then with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

But while he has received a congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping, the two of them have yet to speak over the phone.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of South Korea’s diplomatic relations with China, and that diplomacy will have major ramifications for South Korea’s future that extend far beyond Yoon’s five years in office.

South Koreans have become increasingly alarmed over Xi’s high-handed diplomatic tactics, including the retaliatory measures imposed in response to deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system. It’s also true that more people believe South Korea ought to reduce its economic overreliance on China and say what needs to be said about its misguided actions.

But we urgently need a judicious diplomatic approach of communicating more with Beijing and working to win it over — if only for the sake of recalibrating the relationship between our two sides.

North Korea may have failed with its attempted test launch of a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Wednesday, but its provocations are expected to continue. Under these circumstances, we are obliged to cooperate with China to keep the Korean Peninsula’s political situation on a stable footing.

Throughout his election campaign, Yoon called for a hardline course, with his talk about additional THAAD deployments and possible “preemptive strikes” against the North. But now it’s time for fine-tuning a more realistic approach to foreign affairs and national security — the kind that doesn’t breed unnecessary conflict and clashes with major powers.

The future of South Korea hinges on its diplomacy, which is not an area that you can approach with black-and-white logic. This is a time for Yoon to practice balanced diplomacy — which he can do by sending special envoys to China and Japan in addition to the US and EU.

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