The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Builders vie for leadership in modular construction

  • 3

    INTERVIEW'Coexistence of different art hubs across Asia is necessary': Art Week Tokyo Director

  • 5

    Austrian former nurse of Korean leprosy patients dies at age 88

  • 7

    Korea picks up 1st gold in roller skating

  • 9

    Korea to extend $5 mil. worth of fertilizer aid to Ukraine via US agency

  • 11

    Yoon meets police officers, firefighters on Chuseok holiday

  • 13

    New York City area gets one of its wettest days in decades, as rain swamps subways and streets

  • 15

    FM visits France to campaign for Korea's World Expo bid

  • 17

    Republicans reject own funding bill, US government shutdown imminent

  • 19

    With teammate's help, inconsolable shooter regroups in time to win bronze

  • 2

    Poll shows 79% of young Koreans agree on need to improve ties with Japan

  • 4

    What to know and what's next for Travis King, the American soldier who ran into North Korea

  • 6

    S. Korea lose to N. Korea in women's football quarterfinals

  • 8

    Top 1% of singers earned $3.4 mil. each on average in 2021: data

  • 10

    Households in capital area hold 70% more in assets than non-metropolitan families: data

  • 12

    Korean industry minister visits Africa for World Expo bid, economic ties

  • 14

    Korean baseball team trying to adjust to playing surface, new ball in China

  • 16

    Will blue crabs from Italy arrive on Korean dining tables?

  • 18

    Korea wins bronze in mixed team pistol event for 14th shooting medal

  • 20

    What happens if US government enters a shutdown?

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Opinion
  • Yun Byung-se
  • Kim Won-soo
  • Ahn Ho-young
  • Kim Sang-woo
  • Lee Kyung-hwa
  • Mitch Shin
  • Peter S. Kim
  • Daniel Shin
  • Jeon Su-mi
  • Jang Daul
  • Song Kyung-jin
  • Park Jung-won
  • Cho Hee-kyoung
  • Park Chong-hoon
  • Kim Sung-woo
  • Donald Kirk
  • John Burton
  • Robert D. Atkinson
  • Mark Peterson
  • Eugene Lee
  • Rushan Ziatdinov
  • Lee Jong-eun
  • Chyung Eun-ju and Joel Cho
  • Bernhard J. Seliger
  • Imran Khalid
  • Troy Stangarone
  • Jason Lim
  • Casey Lartigue, Jr.
  • Bernard Rowan
  • Steven L. Shields
  • Deauwand Myers
  • John J. Metzler
  • Andrew Hammond
  • Sandip Kumar Mishra
Mon, October 2, 2023 | 09:55
Yun Byung-se
It's diplomacy, stupid!
Posted : 2021-12-02 16:43
Updated : 2021-12-02 20:53
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
By Yun Byung-se

Two years ago, Bill Burns, the then-president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and now the CIA director, criticized President Donald Trump for what he termed "the demolition of U.S. diplomacy" in his article in Foreign Affairs magazine. This assessment seemed to reflect the thinking of not just the Biden camp but also of the mainstream of America.

It was no wonder that President Joe Biden, only two weeks after his inauguration, declared in his speech before State Department officials that "America is back. Diplomacy is back at the center of our foreign policy." The Biden administration chose diplomacy as the principal tool of U.S. foreign and national security policy, integrating all the other elements of national power. Under this approach, economic security is, in and of itself, national security and "foreign policy for the middle class" chimes in well as a compelling slogan.

Putting aside the evaluation of his performance thus far, it seems that President Biden has invested considerable energy in revitalizing U.S. diplomacy, placing the country back at the head of the table and working with its allies and partners on bilateral, regional and global issues.

His administration has put a particular emphasis on rehabilitating trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific alliances and partnerships, as well as on reestablishing the U.S. leadership in global agendas, such as climate change, the global pandemic, democracy and nuclear non-proliferation. It was not without friction, though, as in the case of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the invention of the Australia-U.K.-U.S. (AUKUS) partnership.

As strategic competition with China has intensified, much of his multilateral diplomatic capital has been focused on building a united front against China in the political, economic, technological, information and military spheres, as well as in terms of values, system and ideology.

The Indo-Pacific, in particular, has emerged as the foremost frontline of the Sino-American conflict. Since the beginning of the new U.S. administration, we have been witnessing a proliferation of mini-lateral partnerships, such as frequent, high-level trilateral meetings among the U.S., Japan and South Korea, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) at the leaders' level (U.S., Australia, India and Japan) and the newly formed AUKUS security partnership.

Now, the U.S. is openly floating the idea of forming a new economic framework to comprise key Indo-Pacific nations minus China, to be differentiated from existing circles, such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

China is not standing idly by. It is responding in kind, amassing a rival China-led alliance/partnership network. It is renewing diverse layers of official partnerships with countries across the world. What is noteworthy is its enhanced strategic cooperation with its two special partners: Russia and Pakistan.

China has embraced North Korea under Kim Jong-un as a strategic asset once again, after prolonged chilly relations for several years. This past July, the two countries renewed their mutual defense treaty and agreed to elevate their relationship to new heights.

Then come several Southeast Asian countries with a long tradition of ties, including Myanmar. Beijing has also strengthened multilateral mechanisms, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), to counter U.S. containment policy.

Many of these countries endorsed China's position on human rights in Xinjiang and Hong Kong in multilateral forums such as the Human Rights Council and the U.N. General Assembly this year. China is a signatory to the RCEP and smartly applied for the CPTPP, two mega free trade agreements (FTAs) that the U.S. has not joined or rejoined.

This "squid game" does not end here. Next week, President Biden will host the first-ever Summit for Democracy virtually, which will be attended by more than 100 leaders around the world, excluding President Xi. The U.S. is now also leaning toward a "diplomatic boycott" of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, with some U.S. allies and partners expected to follow suit.

On its part, China is likely to drive wedges between the U.S. and its allies and partners, such as South Korea and some ASEAN members, which they regard as weak links. If it is deemed necessary, China will not shy away from resorting to "wolf warrior diplomacy."

Against this backdrop, the EU, U.K., Japan and other key players in the world are also intent on upgrading and forming their own coalitions to either survive or turn toward their favor the ongoing reconfiguration of forces.

Unfortunately, Korean diplomacy now is not as strategic or proactive as in the past, especially at a critical juncture when there is a high demand for it to cope with daunting challenges in the region and in the world. It tends to become an adjunct to a narrowly-focused inter-Korean agenda, like the tail wagging the dog.

Due to partisan interests, populist trends and defects inherent in the country's five-year, single-term presidency, it cannot afford to address the unfolding grand chess game of geopolitics and geo-economics in terms of broader national interests in the longer term. The opportunity cost arising from this situation is high, to put it mildly. Whoever wins the next Korean presidential election must get ready to tackle all those multi-factor equations up front.

During the presidential campaign of 1992, candidate Bill Clinton said, "It is the economy, stupid." Thirty years later, President Biden declared, "Diplomacy is back at the center of our foreign policy." It's high time for presidential candidates in Korea to learn from these lessons and to say that "it's the diplomacy, stupid," translating that commitment into real actions for the next five years.

And such diplomacy should not be a compartmentalized diplomacy, but rather an integrated diplomacy mobilizing all tools available, ready to make even hard choices in a timely manner. This is the reason why the recent book titled, "Revitalization of Korean Diplomacy," can serve as a sobering reminder to many watchers of Korean diplomacy inside and outside of the government, as "the demolition of U.S. diplomacy" did to America watchers.


Yun Byung-se is the former foreign minister of South Korea. He is now a board member of the Korea Peace Foundation and a member of several ex-global leaders' forums and task forces, including the Astana Forum and its Consultative Council, as well as the Task Force on U.S. Allies and Nuclear Weapons Proliferation, sponsored by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.


 
miguel
wooribank
LG
Top 10 Stories
1Trapped along borders Trapped along borders
2[INTERVIEW] Risk-averse culture is forcing daring creators to flee showbiz INTERVIEWRisk-averse culture is forcing daring creators to flee showbiz
3Koreans adapt to soaring food prices Koreans adapt to soaring food prices
4Education ministry prohibits parents from recording classes Education ministry prohibits parents from recording classes
5[VIDEO] Bustling Chuseok: Namsan Hanok Village immerses visitors in Korea's rich traditions VIDEOBustling Chuseok: Namsan Hanok Village immerses visitors in Korea's rich traditions
6Builders vie for leadership in modular construction Builders vie for leadership in modular construction
7Are 'finfluencers' helping or harming investment community? Are 'finfluencers' helping or harming investment community?
8Value, consumer goods, financial stocks expected to gain momentum after Chuseok holiday Value, consumer goods, financial stocks expected to gain momentum after Chuseok holiday
9Will blue crabs from Italy arrive on Korean dining tables? Will blue crabs from Italy arrive on Korean dining tables?
10[PHOTOS] Decisive moments of Team Korea at Asian Games PHOTOSDecisive moments of Team Korea at Asian Games
Top 5 Entertainment News
1M+ deputy director discusses Seoul's potential to challenge Hong Kong as Asia's art hub M+ deputy director discusses Seoul's potential to challenge Hong Kong as Asia's art hub
2[INTERVIEW] 'Coexistence of different art hubs across Asia is necessary': Art Week Tokyo Director INTERVIEW'Coexistence of different art hubs across Asia is necessary': Art Week Tokyo Director
3Trailblazing nonagenarian artist honored for redefining Korean fiber art Trailblazing nonagenarian artist honored for redefining Korean fiber art
4[INTERVIEW] With '30 Days,' Kang Ha-neul finds new level of comfort in acting INTERVIEWWith '30 Days,' Kang Ha-neul finds new level of comfort in acting
5Rwandan artists bring diversity to Seoul's art scene Rwandan artists bring diversity to Seoul's art scene
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group