Newly appointed Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, who started his term Tuesday, is tasked with coordinating with the United States on North Korea policy and mending fences with Japan.
The replacement of the Moon Jae-in administration’s top diplomat comes as Seoul and Washington are now at an important inflection point over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program after the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden in January.
In addition, another daunting task for the new minister will be navigating the country’s diplomacy amid the escalating Sino-U.S. rivalry.
Despite the “good relations” between former U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, championed by President Moon Jae-in who viewed their talks as critical to establishing a durable peace on the Korean Peninsula, there was no progress toward denuclearization and in that sense, Biden is set to pull back from his predecessor’s policy.
Although Biden has repeated his intention to improve relations and work with U.S. allies, including South Korea, there are growing concerns that the two sides may clash over how to resolve the North Korea nuclear issue.
“Bilateral difficulties could surface, however, over North Korea policy. Moon’s government favors easing sanctions against Pyongyang, a stance that could create tension with Washington,” said the Congressional Research Service, updated Feb. 2.
The South Korean government wants the new U.S. administration to quickly restart nuclear negotiations with the North Korean regime by inheriting the principles from the 2018 Singapore agreement between Trump and Kim.
However, the Biden team appears to be abandoning Trump’s policy, as evidenced by State Secretary Antony Blinken who said the U.S. government was reviewing its entire approach to the North during his confirmation hearing.
Given this situation, Chung is expected to assume the job of reducing the gap between the two countries over North Korea policy and making sure they stay on the same page on Moon’s Korean Peninsula “peace process” without causing strains in the alliance.
“Although there may be differing views between South Korea and the U.S. on some issues, I believe we have no problem reconciling them behind the strong bilateral alliance despite media speculation that they are not on the same page on North Korea’s denuclearization,” Chung told reporters Tuesday, his first day on the job.
While Seoul is caught in the middle of Sino-U.S. rivalry, Washington, its long-time security ally, wants it to join the anti-China coalition, or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad). However, the Moon administration has been reluctant to participate in the alliance due to China being the country’s largest-trading partner.
“The U.S. and China are both important to us. The alliance with the U.S. is the linchpin of our peace and prosperity, while China is our strategic partner which is also an important player for peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Chung said, adding that South Korea can play a role in helping the two countries build trust through cooperation in common areas like climate change and response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As for Quad participation, the minister said, “The government is taking changes in the regional situation seriously as it gives us both a challenge and an opportunity. If a regional strategic forum operates in a transparent, open and inclusive manner and observes international rules, we are willing to cooperate in any forums or partners.”
Another task for Chung is repairing ties with Japan that have reached their lowest point in years due to sensitive historical issues.
Relations between Seoul and Tokyo have plummeted, sparked by the latter’s imposition of export controls on three key materials critical for Korea’s semiconductor and display industries in apparent political retaliation for a ruling by the 2018 Korean Supreme Court ordering Japanese companies to compensate surviving Korean victims of forced wartime labor.
In addition, the Seoul Central District Court ordered Japan to make reparations of 100 million won ($90,000) each to 12 sexual slavery victims last month, creating further hostility.
The Biden administration is seeking trilateral cooperation to contain China as well as resolving the North’s nuclear issue, so South Korea is expected to face pressure from the U.S. to improve relations with Japan.
Chung said during his confirmation hearing that the South Korean government would pursue a two-track strategy with the neighboring country of settling historical issues while seeking economic cooperation.
