S. Korea’s new foreign minister vows foreign policy based on global values

Posted on : 2022-05-13 16:47 KST Modified on : 2022-05-13 16:47 KST
Park Jin said the upcoming summit with the US would cover topics including measures for bringing Pyongyang back to the negotiating table
Park Jin, South Korea’s new foreign minister, speaks to the press after being sworn in on May 12. (Yonhap News)
Park Jin, South Korea’s new foreign minister, speaks to the press after being sworn in on May 12. (Yonhap News)

South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin announced Thursday that the Yoon Suk-yeol administration will be pursuing “diplomacy based on global values” as its foreign policy keynote, with liberal democracy, the market economy, human rights and peace as its guiding principles.

Regarding what will be covered during the upcoming South Korea-US summit, Park stated that the meeting will focus on discussions on strengthening deterrents against North Korea, ways to resume negotiations with Pyongyang concerning its nuclear program, ways to respond to instability in the global supply chain, and establishing a new regional order in the Indo-Pacific.

After being sworn in on Thursday, Park met with reporters and said that “South Korea’s diplomatic responsibility has grown as the country is on its way to becoming a developed country.”

“South Korea should make public its stance, which should be based on consistent values,” Park went on, adding, “[South Korea] is a country that’s defending liberal democracy, and as such, domestic [conditions] are important, but liberal democracy on the regional level is important as well.”

Park continued, “South Korea will make its stance based on the universal values of freedom and human rights known in its own way and consistently maintain the stance while expanding diplomatic efforts centering its national interest.”

Earlier, during his inaugural address on Tuesday, Yoon emphasized the importance of “universal values and international norms that are based on freedom and respect for human rights” and stressed that South Korea should “play a more active role in defending and advancing the freedom and human rights of all global citizens.”

Moreover, he stated that “global citizens must come together in solidarity” when “hunger, poverty, abuse of power and armed conflict strips away our individual freedom and robs us of our inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness.”

In short, Yoon was conveying that values-based diplomacy will be his foreign policy keynote.

When asked how the Yoon administration will position itself when values and national interest collide, including when it comes to its China policy, Park said, “While [values] may collide with national interest, upholding consistent values will correspond with our national interest in the long run.” He added, “We will pursue diplomacy wisely and rationally while taking into consideration South Korea’s stature.”

Concerning the South Korea-US alliance, which Yoon has repeatedly said must be “rebuilt,” Park said, “Within our alliance, there were many pending agendas as well as issues that caused discomfort [. . .] The new administration’s policy is to strengthen the trust between the two countries and elevate the comprehensive strategic alliance to a new level based on common interests.”

When asked what agendas will be covered during the South Korea-US summit scheduled for May 21, Park said, “How to strengthen deterrents [against North Korea] will be an important agenda, as the security situation on the Korean Peninsula has been serious and the threat of North Korean missiles and nuclear weapons is intensifying.”

He continued, “As South Korea and the US’ demand for denuclearization has been met with North Korean threats and provocations, we will discuss measures that will lead [North Korea] to the right decision for the sake of peace and stability.”

Additionally, Park stated that “in order to preemptively respond to disturbances in the global supply chain, important measures must be taken regarding economic security, but South Korea and the US must discuss with each other what kind of contributions they can make.”

“Because a new order of the era of the Indo-Pacific is dawning, relevant discussions will take place on how [South Korea and the US] can cooperate [on the issue],” Park said as well.

Park also revealed that the Yoon administration is “optimistically considering” South Korea’s participation in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), a US-led initiative aimed to hold China in check. In regard to concerns that China may oppose this, Park explained that “the IPEF is not targeted toward one specific country.”

“There will be no conflict of interests with China,” he said.

By Jung In-hwan, staff reporter

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