Commentary: Yoon celebrates US alliance in Washington visit – but jury’s out if all in South Korea agree

BACKLASH FROM BEIJING AND MOSCOW

And then there is Beijing. China’s reaction to the Washington Declaration was scathing. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson derided the agreement as reflecting a Cold War mentality, undermining the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons and upending regional peace. 

This has left some in Seoul worried that Yoon’s pro-US tilt may alienate China, its largest trading partner. 

On April 24 South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung called for Seoul to adopt a more balanced approach towards relations with Beijing and Washington. Worried that Seoul has become too dependent on the US, Lee described President Yoon’s approach as “self-destructive”. 

There is little doubt that Lee also disapproved of President Yoon’s recent statement to Reuters that a human rights crisis in Ukraine may induce South Korea to provide weapons to Kyiv. During the interview, Yoon also communicated his opposition to changing the status quo on Taiwan through the unilateral use of force.

This bold talk by Yoon – uncharacteristic of the often cautious and measured diplomacy that South Korea is known for – drew condemnation from Moscow and Beijing. 

Time will tell whether President Yoon feels secure enough politically to continue with his forward-leaning approach towards foreign relations. If so, Yoon may accede to Biden’s request to provide Ukraine with the lethal aid it has been requesting.

Part of it will depend on how the South Korean public views Yoon’s deliverables from last week’s state visit to Washington.

Ted Gover, PhD, is Associate Clinical Professor at Claremont Graduate University in Los Angeles.