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| Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-Sung (Image: Wiki Commons) |
By Scott A. Snyder
What constraints must Seoul overcome to be an effective middle power?
Ruling (Saenuri) Party Chairman Kim Moo-Sung led a South Korean National Assembly delegation visit to Washington this week and gave a speech at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars. His speech included three points that nicely summarize the constraints South Korea is currently facing in its foreign policy.
- Chairman Kim called for “creative solutions that go beyond strategic patience” in U.S. policy toward North Korea, referencing the Iran deal and normalization of relations with Cuba. This reflects a continuing insistence from South Korea for the United States to recognize the North Korea issue as a pressing global challenge to the global nuclear regime rather than a regional issue. South Korea may try to engage North Korea on the nuclear issue, but North Korea has continuously regarded it as an issue for discussion with the United States. This is a point of difference that could become a sticking point in the alliance if it is allowed to fester. Some South Koreans are growing increasingly frustrated with a policy of defeatism without conceding defeat; there is growing worry that if it remains unchecked, North Korea’s nuclear program will metastasize and place South Korea at greater risk, despite U.S. assurances.
Read the full story at The Diplomat