DP plans relaunch for special committee to be led by Rep. Wi Sung-lac
Published: 21 Jan. 2025, 19:20
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- LIM JEONG-WON
- [email protected]
![Democratic Party Rep. Wi Sung-lac speaks at a JoongAng-Center for Strategic and International Studies Forum at the Shilla Seoul in Jung District, central Seoul, on March 4, 2024. [KIM JONG-HO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/21/e1c0b0f8-3b82-4517-8943-384ba9989a74.jpg)
Democratic Party Rep. Wi Sung-lac speaks at a JoongAng-Center for Strategic and International Studies Forum at the Shilla Seoul in Jung District, central Seoul, on March 4, 2024. [KIM JONG-HO]
Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung appointed DP Rep. Wi Sung-lac as the chairman of the soon-to-be relaunched Northeast Asia Special Committee on Tuesday as the party prepares for a possible early presidential election.
Wi, who served as the ambassador to Russia and serves as director of the North American Affairs Bureau of the Foreign Ministry, has long been Lee’s adviser in the areas of foreign policy and security.
Lee plans to officially relaunch the special committee soon, according to a DP official on Tuesday.
The DP’s Northeast Asia Special Committee was established in 2018 with the goal of promoting peace and cooperation between countries in the Northeast Asia region. At the time, the goal was to support the Moon Jae-in administration’s Korean Peninsula peace policy at the party level. However, there has been little activity during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.
Lee’s appointment of a new chairman and the preparation for a relaunch of the committee have been seen as an attempt to solidify foreign affairs and security policies in preparation for an early presidential election.
The newly launched Northeast Asia Special Committee is expected to move beyond the regional boundaries of the Korean Peninsula.
Wi said in a phone call with the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, “I think we will be able to work on issues related to not only Northeast Asia but also relations with the United States.”
Wi is a former diplomat who is both a North Korea nuclear strategist and an American expert. Known for his pragmatic approach, Wi sees both the alliance with the U.S. and the partnership with China as important but has been critical of the DP’s past hardline diplomatic approaches — such as the withdrawal of the Thaad (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system.
In a contribution to The Economist last month, Wi said, “Lee appealed to citizens to protect democracy through a live broadcast from his car on his way to the National Assembly,” and explained Lee’s role during the Dec. 3 martial law.
Lee is also trying to dispel his pro-China and anti-American image and, at the same time, highlight his leadership through interviews with foreign media outlets. He is scheduled to be interviewed by The Economist on Wednesday. Lee was previously interviewed by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNN and Bloomberg.
His messages related to diplomacy have also increased significantly recently. On Monday, he said, regarding the launch of the second Donald Trump administration, “We must respond by establishing new diplomatic, security and trade strategies based on the strong Korea-U.S. alliance.”
The party-level diplomatic strategy communication team also held its first meeting on Jan. 14. The communication team decided to establish a foreign media monitoring response system in case of an early election, as the view of foreign media can also affect the presidential election outcome.
Attorney Yeom Seung-yeol was appointed the spokesperson for foreign media, a position that had been vacant up until now. In addition, a New Year’s greeting letter in Lee’s name was produced ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday and sent to 116 foreign embassies in Korea on Monday.
The DP announced on Tuesday that it would propose a resolution to support the Korea-U.S. alliance in preparation for the launch of the second Trump administration in the U.S. The resolution was proposed by DP Rep. Kim Byung-joo and 81 other lawmakers, including Lee, who participated as co-sponsors.
BY YOON SUNG-MIN, LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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