hankyoreh

Amitav Acharya speaks during a roundtable discussion at the Hankyoreh’s Asia Future Forum, held at the Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry in Seoul’s Jung District on Oct. 28, 2026. (Park Jong-shik/Hankyoreh)

The liberal world order that came after World War II is being shaken to its core, while the artificial intelligence revolution threatens the very foundation of human survival in terms of jobs and national security.

In a world of every country for itself and where major powers erode international norms and wield economic coercion against even their allies, the room to maneuver for middle powers and smaller states is shrinking by the day. In this era of seismic upheaval, a blueprint charting a path toward coexistence has never been more urgently needed.  

The Hankyoreh on Wednesday hosted the 17th Asia Future Forum under the theme “Navigating the Great Upheaval: The Road to a Leading Nation,” an event that pooled the wisdom needed to navigate such turbulent times. 

In his keynote address, Amitav Acharya, a distinguished professor of international relations at American University in Washington, said the future global order will be neither unipolar nor multipolar but “multiplex.”

He was referring to a pluralistic order much like a multiplex cinema where multiple movies are screened simultaneously, one in which actors like major and middle powers, international organizations, corporations and civil society share leadership and responsibility case by case in sectors like security, economy, climate and technology.

Acharya said a leading country is not just powerful but also finds new paths for cooperation. He added that Korea could demonstrate technological leadership by leveraging its strengths in AI governance, renewable energy and semiconductor technology to bridge the divide between major powers and the Global South.

This aligns with what President Lee Jae Myung said in a congratulatory message sent to the forum as read by Wi Sung-lac, the director of the Blue House National Security Office. 

“At the United Nations General Assembly in September, I presented three visions: a global basic society powered by AI, green transformation and a coalition for global energy supply chains,” the president said.

Self-reliance is the prerequisite for cooperation. In his keynote speech, Kim Heung-kyu, the chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, proposed an “all-weather survival strategy” that puts self-reliance at its core, moving away from a foreign-dependent mindset that treats alliances as sacrosanct while integrating them with global solidarity. He stressed that reclaiming wartime operational control of Korea’s armed forces from the US is essential for this approach.

Daegu University professor Kim Yang-hee presented as a vision of economic security the concept of a “strategic nodal state,” which occupies positions in multiple overlapping layers of global networks spanning economics, technology and security that are difficult to replace, thus raising its bargaining power and autonomy. She also recommended that Korea join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Most importantly, the strength of a leading nation comes from within. Social cohesion is only possible when continuous innovation produces sustainable growth, whose fruit must be shared equitably with the public.

Lee’s statement that “a true leading nation shares the fruits of growth with all and leaves no one behind” carries the same meaning. Korea must build on the strength it has forged through self-reliance to advance international cooperation and solidarity. Through proactive diplomacy that bridges major powers and the Global South, the country can emerge as a global leader amid this era of profound upheaval.

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