The True Face of the Conservative Regime’s Diplomacy
Written by: Jongpil Son (ISC, Issue Briefing Team Leader)
Translated by: Alice S. Kim (ISC, Translation Team)
# 1. The Circumstances Surrounding CIA’s Wiretapping as Revealed in Leaked US Military Documents
On April 8, 2023, a vast amount of secret US military documents leaked by the US military was released through the media. It is not surprising that the leak of documents containing highly sensitive information would cause controversy. In the midst of this controversy, the leaked documents made public internal discussions within the South Korean government on the Russia-Ukraine war. This information was collected through wiretapping as reported by the New York Times.
The suspicion that wiretapping of the National Security Office of our country has taken place is more and more turning into an established fact. This wiretapping suspicion caused a great controversy domestically, including within domestic politics.
However, the Office of the President announced on April 11, “We would like to inform you of the official position regarding allegations of the US government’s eavesdropping and wiretapping.” Stating that, “the Yongsan Presidential Office, as a military facility, is constructing and operating an eavesdropping and wiretapping prevention system that is more secure than that of the past Blue House,” the allegations of wiretapping by the United States were dismissed. Going further still, the Office of the President stated that the suspicion of wiretapping is “clearly an absurd false suspicion.” For those who consider the US-ROK alliance to be the highest good, US wiretapping may be both something probable and permissible. Before any talk about the South Korean regime’s flunkeyism, there was not even an official request for confirmation by South Korea as a sovereign state.
# 2. A Narrowing Diplomatic Strategy with U.S. in Focus
In an interview with Reuters on March 19, President Yoon Seok-yeol changed his existing “stance against arming Ukraine” and mentioned that weapons support may be given to Ukraine. Adding the precondition: “If there is a situation the international community cannot condone, such as any large-scale attack on civilians, massacre or serious violation of the laws of war” he stated, “it might be difficult for us to insist only on humanitarian or financial support.” Naturally, Russia objected to this. In the same interview, regarding the escalation of military tensions in the Taiwan Strait, he said, “this tension is caused by an attempt to change the status quo by force, and we, along with the international community, absolutely oppose changing the status quo by force.” The president directly mentioned the Taiwan issue, which China regards as most sensitive. He defined China’s military threat as changing the status quo by force. China’s backlash was, as expected, strong, and harsh remarks between the diplomatic authorities of the two countries are ongoing.
What is the reason for the Japan and US visits? What is President Yoon Seok-yeol trying to gain from the Korea-Japan and the Korea-US summits?
The Office of the President praised the outcome of the last summit meeting between Korea and Japan as “a turning point in improving bilateral relations, which had reached its worst point in years.” In addition, the Hankook Ilbo reported that the main agenda of the upcoming Korea-US summit—“discussion on strengthening expanded deterrence in response to the North Korean nuclear program, the semiconductor law, and the inflation prevention law”—is being coordinated in advance by Deputy Director Kim Tae-hyo of the National Security Office.
What did Korea gain from the summit with Japan and what did Korea give to Japan? In diplomatic relations, the principle of equivalence should be applied to mutual giving and receiving. If not, one is bound to face criticism of capitulating and a humiliating diplomacy. Apart from controversy over the success of the last Korea-Japan summit, its main elements consisted of the issue of third party compensation for Japanese military comfort women, the resumption of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), and the easing of export restrictions by repealing the whitelist exclusions. These are all sensitive issues. The GSOMIA issue was controversial even at the time of the Park Geun-hye administration when the agreement was signed, and the issue of compensation for Japanese military comfort women remains an important agenda in Korea-Japan relations as Japan still refuses to acknowledge responsibility, without even a clear apology for its colonial occupation. The easing of Japan’s export restrictions to Korea is to lift Japan’s export restrictions on core materials and parts for high-tech industries.
So what has Korea really gained? Given that improving relations between the two countries is premised on trust, it is difficult to say for sure whether we will see the actual achievements that the regime boasts in terms of how Japan presents itself after the Korea-Japan summit.
As for the agenda for the summit with the United States, the moment that the deterrence of North Korea’s nuclear program becomes the top priority, it is likely that the rest of the agenda will be about the costs we will have to pay. Arms support to Ukraine or becoming a member of the US policy toward Northeast Asia inevitably entails diplomatic and economic costs. And based on the reality where South Korea as a sovereign state is unable to even verify facts and raise issues regarding the suspicion of wiretapping by the United States, it is worrisome how well the regime will take its stance on the various demands presented by the United States.
In order to see the intentions behind the Korea-Japan and Korea-US summits, we need to look at their various contexts. Yet, it appears that the highest priority for these various contexts is the US strategy for global dominance, and in particular the East Asian strategy. As for the Korean society’s attitude towards Japan, anti-Japanese sentiment is still strong. Despite this, the improvement of relations between Korea and Japan or the act of emphasizing future partnership can be seen as being in line with the US Northeast Asian strategy. Japan is the primary partner in the US strategy to contain China. Japan is also working hard to be faithful to this position. Under these circumstances, it is reasonable to view the improvement of Japan-Korea relations in Northeast Asia as a reflection of the will to realize a strong united front centered on the US strategy for Northeast Asia.
The Korea-US summit will be held soon. From the standpoint of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, which has failed to achieve significant results in foreign policy after coming to power, the Korea-US summit may be an important opportunity for that very reason. However, I can only hope that it will not merely show the true face of Yoon’s diplomacy, which is to gain loyalty for deterring the North Korean nuclear program without any practical benefits.