[INTERVIEW] 'Choosing between US, China is disgraceful,' ruling party's presidential candidate says

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung poses during a joint interview with The Korea Times, Reuters and the South China Morning Post at the party headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Lee urges Japan to make sincere apology for forward-looking relations

By Kang Seung-woo

South Korea is torn between the United States and China in their intensifying strategic competition, as Washington is a longtime security ally, while Beijing is the nation's largest trading partner.

This situation has thereby led South Korea to take a stance of so-called strategic ambiguity, a policy of refraining from any overt actions that would suggest Seoul is taking sides.

However, calling into question why South Korea should be the one to bear the pressure of choosing between the two superpowers, Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), instead says that it should be the U.S. and China that vie to seek Seoul's closer cooperation for their own interests. He calls this "national interest-centered pragmatic diplomacy," and it's the backbone of his foreign policy platform for the presidential election, scheduled for March 9, 2022.

"Amid the intensifying Sino-U.S. rivalry, South Korea has seen less room to maneuver, but I don't think we deserve to face pressure to pick a side because we are maintaining strategic ambiguity," Lee said in a joint interview with The Korea Times, Reuters and the South China Morning Post at the DPK's headquarters in Seoul, Wednesday.

"South Korea is the world's 10th-largest economy, while possessing the world's sixth-most-powerful military, so why should we be pressured to make a choice in accordance with other countries' interests? I think the situation is coming where we can make decisions independently, putting our national interests first," he added. "Any thinking that we have to choose between the two is a very disgraceful approach."

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung listens during a joint interview with The Korea Times, Reuters and the South China Morning Post at the party headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

His approach, seen as more assertive and independent than the Moon Jae-in administration, stands in sharp contrast to the foreign policy of Yoon Suk-yeol, Lee's rival from the main opposition People Power Party who stresses a comprehensive strategic alliance with the U.S. on all international issues, including China-related ones. Lee and Yoon are in a neck-and-neck presidential race, but Lee is recently gaining momentum with some of the latest polls showing he is taking a slight lead.

The 57-year-old former governor of Gyeonggi Province added: "Rather than South Korea having to pick a side, it will take diplomatic prowess to encourage the U.S. and China to reach out to us for cooperation… The nation needs to make decisions case by case, based on national interest."

Regarding ties with Japan that have slumped to their worst level in years over historical issues, Lee stressed that Tokyo needs to make a sincere apology to build forward-looking relations.

Despite favoring a two-track approach toward Japan that separates historical and territorial disputes from social and economic cooperation, he urged Japan to show a more sincere attitude toward its wartime wrongdoings first in order to restore the bilateral relationship.

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"Although South Korea and Japan have to build future-oriented bilateral ties, historical issues are holding them back as Japan has refused to acknowledge its wartime atrocities perpetrated against neighboring countries in East Asia," he said.

"In that respect, I advise Japan to follow in the footsteps of Germany, which has become a globally leading country after making a sincere apology for its wartime atrocities, highlighted by former Chancellor Willy Brandt's apology for Nazi crimes at the Warsaw Ghetto memorial."

The liberal candidate said North Korea's years-long nuclear issue can be resolved if the long-accumulated distrust between North Korea and the U.S. is eased, something that South Korea can mediate.

Since U.S. President Joe Biden took office in January, the U.S. has urged North Korea to resume nuclear negotiations that have been stalled since the Hanoi summit in February 2019 ended without a deal.

"North Korea and the U.S. remain apart on resuming dialogue. In that respect, South Korea, the main interested party, should step up to reconcile differences," he said.

Lee also asserted the effectiveness of a conditional lifting of sanctions on Pyongyang in return for denuclearization steps, along with a "snapback clause" to reimpose sanctions immediately if North Korea fails to comply with its denuclearization promises.

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung poses before a joint interview with The Korea Times, Reuters and the South China Morning Post at the party headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

The Moon administration has been troubled by its nuclear phase-out policy, centered on breaking away from nuclear energy by not building additional plants while retiring old ones. But critics say this policy caused Korean companies specializing in nuclear plant construction, which had grown to possess world-class technology, to end up collecting dust.

Considering the concerns, Lee stressed that the nation needs to move toward reducing its reliance on nuclear power rather than shutting plants down prematurely, while increasing dependence on new renewable energy.

"We use nuclear energy because it is cheaper, but considering the risks of operating nuclear power plants and nuclear waste disposal, it is not that economical," he said.

"According to Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and many scholars, generating electricity from new renewable energy is estimated to turn cheaper than from nuclear power plants within 10 years. In fact, wind power and other renewable energies have become more economical than thermal power generation in Europe and are expected to go lower than nuclear energy. Based on those estimates, we need to evaluate the effectiveness of nuclear power plants."

Distribution-centered policy

Turning to economic issues, Lee made it clear that he will push for a more distribution-oriented policy through the efficient allocation of resources, which he believes will help address polarization issues and end up improving growth potential eventually.

"Polarization is problematic given that resources are distributed unequally, which causes lack of efficiency and eventually hurts the nation's growth potential," he said.

He explained that if wealth and resources are distributed in a more efficient manner, it will help boost private consumption and demand thus bolstering investments and economic growth.

"Many international economic organizations say more distribution will lead to growth. We are now transitioning to an era in which strengthening distribution and welfare in a balanced way is conducive to growth. If so, it will create a virtuous circle of consumption, demand, investment and growth."