In a push for a new global partnership, South Korean President, Yoon Suk-yeol, attended the NATO summit last week in Spain to foster economic and security collaboration with NATO members.
In his debut speech at the summit, Yoon emphasized the importance of “value-based” solidarity to protect universal values and tackle concurrent conflicts.
“Freedom and peace are guaranteed through solidarity with the international community,” Yoon said. “I hope that our cooperative relations serve as the cornerstone for solidarity that protects universal values and principles.”
Yoon also warned of ongoing conflicts and issues that endanger these values, which, according to a Reuters interview with an unnamed South Korean official, was a reference to China and Russia.
“As a new structure of competitions and conflicts is taking shape, there is also a movement that denies the universal values that we have been protecting,” he said.
Notably, the NATO summit addresses China’s ambitions and assertive behavior as one of the “systemic challenges to the rules-based international order” in its updated guidelines for the first time in history.
Additionally, according to The Chosun Media, Yoon and Stoltenberg reaffirmed at a meeting on Jun. 30 that they would both continue the commitment to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
Yoon and Stoltenberg also agreed to form a “new strategic cooperative partnership” and that South Korea would establish a permanent mission at NATO headquarters.
During the NATO summit, the South Korean president also held a trilateral meeting on the sideline with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to discuss North Korea’s provocations in its nuclear and missile programs.
Europe as an Alternative to China
In addition to strengthening political and military ties with NATO, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration also held bilateral summit meetings with ten European countries to discuss partnerships in several key industries, such as nuclear and military technology, semiconductors, and renewable energy.According to the Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean President seeks to secure semiconductor supply chains, expand cooperation in nuclear energy and defense, and expand partnerships in the space industry in multiple bilateral meetings on the sidelines with the Netherlands, Poland, and France, respectively.
Furthermore, the administration states that the purpose of increasing bilateral partnerships with European countries is for the Korean economy to become less reliant on China.
According to The Korea Times, Choi Sang-mok, South Korea’s senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, states that the Yoon Suk-yeol administration seeks alternative trading partners to ensure survival, as the declining economy of China has made the country a less reliable trading partner for South Korea.
‘Pursue a Common Value’: Yoon Suk-yeol
In the wake of restoring and strengthening its relationships with the West, South Korea is also experiencing threats and opposition from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).In a press conference on July 1st, Yoon reiterated the importance of a “value-based” approach in dealing with international and domestic issues.
“Regarding the trilateral meeting or the NATO Summit, it is not about excluding a certain country,” Yoon told reporters aboard his presidential jet as he returned to South Korea. “Whenever we are dealing with domestic issues or international agendas, we should pursue a common value and protect rules that everyone should follow.”
