By Song Kyung-jin
Foreign policy becomes domestic policy only when it is presented with the right background, direction and information. Before and after the G7 Leaders' Summit on June 11-13 in Cornwall, the U.K., the whole of Korea was mired in excitement and ire simultaneously out of confusion and misleading information from the government and supposed experts.
When this year's G7 host, the United Kingdom, announced the list of invited guests to the Cornwall G7 summit in January ― Korea, Australia, India and South Africa ― the Korean government immediately published it and offered an interpretation that the G7's invitation two years in a row was a G7 recognition of Korea's enhanced stature in the world, coming close to that of the world's richest countries which make up the G7. The same rhetoric was reinforced by the President in Cabinet meetings as the G7 summit was approaching.
There is no doubt that it is a good thing to be invited to an important multilateral forum like the G7 where global issues are discussed. But no invitation is extended at random without an agenda or a purpose. The agenda is a determining factor in the host's decision on guest countries. Yet one critical element consistently missing in the Korean government's rhetoric was the G7's rationale behind the invitation to Korea and the expected contribution of Korea at the forthcoming G7 summit.
The Moon Jae-in administration should have come clean rather that the invitation was extended as Korea is regarded as one of the most important non-G7 countries in the Indo-Pacific, along with Australia and India, and explained its implications.
Instead, it did not correct distorted and exaggerated interpretations offered by pundits regarding the family photo positions, seating arrangement at the outreach session and so forth. Hence the nationwide confusion and pros-and-cons battle among the citizens, hurling bad words at one another and widening the nation's divide. Korea does not need approval from the G7 or anyone else to feel it is a successful economy and a competitive country because it already is. Have some self-confidence, fellow citizens!
The G7 wanted Korea to join its China strategy in an effort to counter China on a wide range of issues, from the "Build Back Better for the World" infrastructure initiative to public health. This was well-implied in the "Open Societies Statement" that was signed by the leaders of G7 and Australia, India, Korea and South Africa at the end of the outreach session titled "Building Back Better-Open Societies and Economies" on June 13. The leaders reaffirmed open societies, democratic values, multilateralism and respect for international rules and norms. The leaders agreed to "work together to create an open and inclusive rules-based international order for the future that promotes universal human rights and equal opportunities for all."
Countering China means a different policy stance for a different country. A policy stance guides a sovereign state's words and actions. Having upheld "strategic ambiguity" as its core foreign policy principle for the last four years, the Moon Jae-in administration went off on a tangent in the G7 rhetoric, wanting not to publicize the G7 invitation's intention and implications but to highlight the invitation itself only.
Absence of consistent policy stance is already wreaking havoc on Korea's credibility and integrity with confusing messages. A signatory Korea is expected to remain committed to the "Open Societies Statement" values, including human rights, freedom and democratic values.
President Moon Jae-in's recent interview with Time magazine in which he assessed Kim Jong-un as "very honest … very enthusiastic [and] one with strong determination" who has "a good idea of what is going on around the world" yet again surprised many at home and abroad. It did not take long for other democracies and like-minded countries to become perplexed with Korea's lack of interest in cooperation with regards to the Indo-Pacific, shying away from its commitment in Cornwall.
Korea with its strategic importance and economic capacity is called to become more engaged in global affairs ensuring the democratic values and the rules-based international order than it has for some time. The intensifying U.S.-China rivalry and the disappointing performance of the G20 may likely give way to the G7 for a brief time.
But the U.S.-China rivalry means not only U.S.-China competition but also U.S.-China cooperation. Also, the upcoming G20 summit hosted by Italy will mark a watershed in making the G20 still a relevant forum for global cooperation. Korea must give some hard thought to how to make effective contributions to revitalizing the G20, revamping global trade out of the doldrums, tackling the COVID-19 pandemic and building a dynamic global and regional infrastructure architecture, for instance.
The world needs a more global Korea than ever before, not a retreating Korea. Delivering its commitments, proposing a relevant agenda and making it a domestic one with solid support from the public will be the backbone of a global Korea.
Dr. Song Kyung-jin (kj_song@hotmail.com) led the Institute for Global Economics (IGE), based in Seoul, and served as special adviser to the chairman of the Presidential Committee for the Seoul G20 Summit in the Office of the President. Now, she chairs the international cooperation committee called the Innovative Economy Forum.
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When this year's G7 host, the United Kingdom, announced the list of invited guests to the Cornwall G7 summit in January ― Korea, Australia, India and South Africa ― the Korean government immediately published it and offered an interpretation that the G7's invitation two years in a row was a G7 recognition of Korea's enhanced stature in the world, coming close to that of the world's richest countries which make up the G7. The same rhetoric was reinforced by the President in Cabinet meetings as the G7 summit was approaching.
There is no doubt that it is a good thing to be invited to an important multilateral forum like the G7 where global issues are discussed. But no invitation is extended at random without an agenda or a purpose. The agenda is a determining factor in the host's decision on guest countries. Yet one critical element consistently missing in the Korean government's rhetoric was the G7's rationale behind the invitation to Korea and the expected contribution of Korea at the forthcoming G7 summit.
The Moon Jae-in administration should have come clean rather that the invitation was extended as Korea is regarded as one of the most important non-G7 countries in the Indo-Pacific, along with Australia and India, and explained its implications.
Instead, it did not correct distorted and exaggerated interpretations offered by pundits regarding the family photo positions, seating arrangement at the outreach session and so forth. Hence the nationwide confusion and pros-and-cons battle among the citizens, hurling bad words at one another and widening the nation's divide. Korea does not need approval from the G7 or anyone else to feel it is a successful economy and a competitive country because it already is. Have some self-confidence, fellow citizens!
The G7 wanted Korea to join its China strategy in an effort to counter China on a wide range of issues, from the "Build Back Better for the World" infrastructure initiative to public health. This was well-implied in the "Open Societies Statement" that was signed by the leaders of G7 and Australia, India, Korea and South Africa at the end of the outreach session titled "Building Back Better-Open Societies and Economies" on June 13. The leaders reaffirmed open societies, democratic values, multilateralism and respect for international rules and norms. The leaders agreed to "work together to create an open and inclusive rules-based international order for the future that promotes universal human rights and equal opportunities for all."
Countering China means a different policy stance for a different country. A policy stance guides a sovereign state's words and actions. Having upheld "strategic ambiguity" as its core foreign policy principle for the last four years, the Moon Jae-in administration went off on a tangent in the G7 rhetoric, wanting not to publicize the G7 invitation's intention and implications but to highlight the invitation itself only.
Absence of consistent policy stance is already wreaking havoc on Korea's credibility and integrity with confusing messages. A signatory Korea is expected to remain committed to the "Open Societies Statement" values, including human rights, freedom and democratic values.
President Moon Jae-in's recent interview with Time magazine in which he assessed Kim Jong-un as "very honest … very enthusiastic [and] one with strong determination" who has "a good idea of what is going on around the world" yet again surprised many at home and abroad. It did not take long for other democracies and like-minded countries to become perplexed with Korea's lack of interest in cooperation with regards to the Indo-Pacific, shying away from its commitment in Cornwall.
Korea with its strategic importance and economic capacity is called to become more engaged in global affairs ensuring the democratic values and the rules-based international order than it has for some time. The intensifying U.S.-China rivalry and the disappointing performance of the G20 may likely give way to the G7 for a brief time.
But the U.S.-China rivalry means not only U.S.-China competition but also U.S.-China cooperation. Also, the upcoming G20 summit hosted by Italy will mark a watershed in making the G20 still a relevant forum for global cooperation. Korea must give some hard thought to how to make effective contributions to revitalizing the G20, revamping global trade out of the doldrums, tackling the COVID-19 pandemic and building a dynamic global and regional infrastructure architecture, for instance.
The world needs a more global Korea than ever before, not a retreating Korea. Delivering its commitments, proposing a relevant agenda and making it a domestic one with solid support from the public will be the backbone of a global Korea.
Dr. Song Kyung-jin (kj_song@hotmail.com) led the Institute for Global Economics (IGE), based in Seoul, and served as special adviser to the chairman of the Presidential Committee for the Seoul G20 Summit in the Office of the President. Now, she chairs the international cooperation committee called the Innovative Economy Forum.
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