Rival candidates show clear differences in diplomacy

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, right, shakes hands with U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff during their meeting at the party's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Friday. Joint Press Corps

Lee stresses pragmatism; Yoon highlights stronger ties with US

By Nam Hyun-woo

The rival presidential candidates of the nation's two major parties have made their first diplomatic moves, dropping hints of their foreign policies concerning the deepening U.S.-China competition and soured Korea-Japan relations.

Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) showcased his idea of developing the current Moon Jae-in administration's balancing act between Washington and Beijing. On the other hand, Yoon Seok-youl of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) showed a stance leaning toward the U.S., stressing the need for Korea to join U.S.-led forums which are believed to be aimed at containing China.

During his meeting with U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, Friday, Lee said that Korea was annexed by Japan because the U.S. approved it through the Taft-Katsura agreement and, "In the end, it is an undeniable fact that Korea, which was the victim of the war (World War II), was divided, not Japan. And this later became the cause of the Korean War."

The Taft-Katsura agreement is a 1905 pact in which the U.S. condoned Japanese rule over Korea, while Japan acknowledged the U.S. governing over the Philippines.

But Lee also said that South Korea was able emerge from the Korean War to become an economically developed nation due to support from the U.S., adding that "Behind this huge, great castle, there may be some small shadows."

DPK lawmaker Rep. Kim Han-jung, an aide to Lee, later explained that Lee mentioned the agreement because Ossoff is known to have a keen interest in the history between Korea and Japan, but the remark faced criticism from the PPP that Lee's diplomacy will "worsen Korea's diplomatic relations and cause a serious rift in the South Korea-U.S. alliance."

On Friday, Lee also met U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming, and demonstrated a balancing act between the two.

During the meeting with Kritenbrink, Lee said that he believes the South Korea-U.S. alliance should be "elevated and developed reasonably" to become "an economic alliance and global partnership."

While meeting with Xing, Lee focused on the two countries' trade partnership, saying that the economic cooperation and reliance that the two countries have on each other will deepen and expand in the future. He added that peace on the Korean Peninsula and the North Korean nuclear program are "complex issues in which everyone has a common interest," and thus, the two countries should cooperate to find rational solutions.

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The move is interpreted as Lee maintaining President Moon's diplomatic strategy of seeking closer ties with the U.S. for national security while partnering with China for economic benefits. Lee's camp describes this method as "pragmatic diplomacy," with Lee saying that there is no need for Korea to limit its diplomatic leeway by picking only one side.

Main opposition People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl speaks during a press conference hosted by the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul, Friday. Joint Press Corps

On the other hand, Yoon showed a clearer stance on the U.S.-China competition during his meeting with Ossoff and Kritenbrink, Friday.

"It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of a comprehensive South Korea-U.S. alliance covering security, health, administration, climate response and advanced technologies," Yoon said. "I place importance on a rules-based international order and predictability in diplomacy between countries."

During a press conference hosted by the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club, Yoon also said that Korea should continue participating in the climate and technology working groups of the Quad, a U.S.-led quadrilateral strategic network in the Indo-Pacific region that is widely viewed as a response to mainland China's growing influence. In September, Yoon announced his election pledges on foreign affairs and stated that he will pursue Korea's "gradual participation" in the Quad.

The Moon administration has been distancing itself from growing U.S. pressure to join the forum, as part of its balancing act.

Yoon also said that Korea needs cooperation with the Five Eyes, a U.S.-led intelligence alliance which in recent years has also turned towards watching China.

Clash over relations with Tokyo

Regarding Korea's chilly relations with Japan, Yoon criticized the Moon administration for having "jeopardized relations with Tokyo" by "blending domestic politics into relations with Japan."

Relations between Seoul and Tokyo have been at a low ebb since 2019, when Japan began restricting exports of key industrial materials to Seoul in an apparent retaliation against the South Korean Supreme Court's decision that ordered Japanese companies to provide compensation for surviving South Korean victims of wartime forced labor.

Since then the two countries have been locking horns, with Moon launching a self-sufficiency campaign to localize the production of key industrial materials and reduce the effects of the trade restrictions.

Yoon claimed that Korea should renew its relations with Japan based on the 1998 declaration between then-President Kim Dae-jung and Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi. In that declaration, the two leaders promised to discuss the future of bilateral relations in order to build a new partnership.

However, Lee criticized Yoon's reference to the 1998 declaration, saying that the latter misunderstood the declaration's cause and consequences.

"Former President Kim did not say that the two countries should overlook their history. Rather, he said that there could be a possibility toward the future when Korea is able to see that Japan has properly recognized the past," Lee said.

"While being unable to demand that Japan apologize for its past wrongdoings, Yoon is referring to former President Kim's achievement just to criticize the Moon government."