New Korean president vows to pursue 'pragmatic' foreign policy based on alliance with U.S.

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New Korean president vows to pursue 'pragmatic' foreign policy based on alliance with U.S.

Published: 04 Jun. 2025, 13:00 Updated: 04 Jun. 2025, 19:19

SEO JI-EUN
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Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

President Lee Jae-myung delivers his inaugural address at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on June 4. [KIM SEONG-RYONG]

[NEWS ANALYSIS]

Lee Jae-myung, the newly elected president from the liberal Democratic Party (DP) who takes office following a six-month diplomatic vacuum, has pledged to engage in “pragmatic diplomacy.”

Lee prioritizes national interests and balanced relations with the four major powers — the United States, Japan, China and Russia.

In his inaugural address on Wednesday, Lee vowed to turn today’s global turmoil into a strategic opportunity through pragmatic diplomacy centered on "national interests."

While affirming the U.S.-South Korea alliance as the “bedrock” of foreign policy, Lee also vowed to strengthen trilateral cooperation with Japan, while engaging with neighboring nations — possibly referring to China and Russia — based on practicality, not ideology.

He also reiterated his intention to reopen channels of communication with North Korea.

Rather than escalating tensions, Lee said he would pursue dialogue and cooperation to build lasting peace on the peninsula — a signal of possible outreach to Pyongyang even as deterrence remains in place through robust military capabilities and the U.S. alliance.

However, Lee has confronted uneasy signals from Washington, even before taking office.

Looming flashpoints for the new South Korean president include U.S. discussions of reducing its 28,500-strong troop presence in Korea while expanding said presence's military role to include off-peninsula contingencies in the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan, as well as potential demands to sharply increase Seoul’s defense cost contributions.

Yet Lee warned during the campaign that, like U.S. President Donald Trump, he is “not someone to be taken lightly.”

A former lawyer who served as mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi before leading the Democratic Party, Lee brings administrative experience to the presidency. But since entering national politics, he has yet to leave a clear mark on foreign or security affairs — a gap that now places his diplomatic credibility under close scrutiny.

The world will be watching how Seoul’s new leadership executes this “pragmatic diplomacy” in real time, as Asia’s fourth-largest economy charts a new course between its longstanding allies and its powerful neighbors.

[JOOGANG ILBO]

Balancing the U.S. alliance with China and Russia

Lee pledged to uphold South Korea’s alliance with the United States as the bedrock of Seoul’s security, while avoiding unnecessary confrontation with China or Russia.

He intends to develop the U.S. partnership into a “comprehensive strategic alliance,” expanding cooperation in defense, the economy and technology..

Lee Jae-myung speaks during a meeting with Joseph Yun, acting U.S. ambassador to Korea, at the National Assembly in Seoul on Jan. 22. [NEWS1]

At the same time, Lee insists South Korea “will not unnecessarily antagonize China and Russia,” signaling a shift to a more nuanced posture toward Beijing and Moscow compared to the previous administration. Under the ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, Seoul’s foreign policy closely aligned with Washington’s hard stance on China and Russia — a “value-based” approach that saw South Korea openly criticize Beijing’s regional behavior and join sanctions against Moscow.

Lee has been critical of that approach, arguing it led to “the worst state” of Seoul-Beijing relations in years. He has vowed to “stably manage” and repair ties with China, which suffered amid U.S.-China strategic rivalry and the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) system in South Korea in 2017.

Lee’s camp favors a circumspect strategy toward China, cooperating on trade and regional stability while steering clear of conflicts involving China’s core interests, such as a potential Taiwan crisis.

Lee has said South Korea should keep its distance if tensions flare over Taiwan, even quipping that he’d worry about intervening “when aliens are about to invade the Earth,” to emphasize his reluctance to be drawn into a U.S.-China war.

Some experts have warned of the importance of Seoul maintaining a clear and proactive stance on cross-strait tensions, amid fears that a diminished deterrence posture on the peninsula could invite risk.

Victor Cha, Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said in a May 30 appearance on the CSIS YouTube channel that a Trump administration policy reorienting most of the U.S. military attention on a Taiwan contingency rather than the Korean Peninsula “could create an environment in which North Korea feels a little bit more confident than they should be and could lead to miscalculation.”

Likewise, on Russia, Lee advocates maintaining dialogue and economic links as long as they align with national interest, rather than isolating Moscow outright. He has not signaled any intent to reverse Seoul’s support for Ukraine, but promises a less antagonistic tone toward Russia than his predecessor.

At the same time, Lee says he will continue the recent trilateral coordination with the United States and Japan on security matters aimed at deterring North Korea and managing regional threats.

However, he has criticized the outgoing administration’s rapprochement with Tokyo for giving too many concessions with little in return.

Lee has vowed to cooperate with Japan on shared interests in security, technology and cultural exchange, but also promised a firmer line on historical disputes.

Kenichiro Sasae, president of the Japan Institute of International Affairs, expressed hope that South Korea's next leader would build on past diplomatic achievements rather than dismantle them.

“Whoever becomes the next president, historical issues between our countries must be resolved by building upon previous efforts,” Sasae said during a roundtable interview on Wednesday. “It would be desirable for whichever candidate is elected not to reverse past achievements but to move forward constructively.”

Lee Jae-myung boards an armored vehicle during a visit to the Army’s 3rd Guard Battalion under the 17th Infantry Division in Incheon on Oct. 31, 2024. [YONHAP]

Engaging North Korea to reduce tensions

A centerpiece of Lee’s national security pledge is a return to engagement with North Korea after years of high tensions under a conservative government.

He has promised to restore official communication channels, including the severed inter-Korean hotlines between Seoul and Pyongyang, as a first step to rebuilding trust. These hotlines — used for military coordination and leader-to-leader contact — have been silent since 2023 amid a sharp deterioration in relations. Lee argues that reestablishing dialogue can help “stably manage” the volatile relationship and prevent unintended escalations.

Lee’s approach toward North Korea also marks a shift from the hard-line stance of his conservative predecessor.

Trash-filled balloons sent by North Korea float above a building in Seoul’s Mapo District, western Seoul, on Oct. 4, 2024. It marked the 24th such balloon launch by the North this year. [NEWS1]

Under Yoon, Seoul responded to Pyongyang’s missile tests with shows of force, expanded military drills and talk of enhanced deterrence.

In contrast, Lee favors a revival of diplomatic outreach reminiscent of the prior liberal government’s efforts. He has floated the idea of incremental steps such as humanitarian aid, economic cooperation offers, or even another inter-Korean summit — all conditioned on reducing the North’s military provocations.

He has flatly rejected calls to redeploy U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to the peninsula or pursue a homegrown nuclear arsenal, proposals that his opponent Kim Moon-soo from the conservative People Power Party had raised amid the North’s advancing missile threat. Instead, Lee insists Seoul can bolster its security within the framework of the U.S. alliance and conventional deterrence, while seeking a freeze on Pyongyang’s provocations through dialogue and confidence-building measures.

Still, Lee faces a daunting reality on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea has dramatically expanded its missile and nuclear capabilities in recent years and, under Kim Jong-un, has shown scant interest in talks.

Pyongyang cut off even humanitarian communications and in 2023 declared South Korea a “main enemy,” dismissing prospects for unification.

The regime has also grown more emboldened by new strategic cooperation with Russia, and it continues to rebuff South Korean overtures.

“The DPRK is actually in a stronger position today than in 2019 and there’s no need for Pyongyang to pursue a so-called bad deal with Trump,” Lam Peng Er, senior fellow at the East Asian Institute of the National University of Singapore, said referring to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the official name of North Korea, during a recent international forum in Jeju. “To be sure, Trump 2.0 has little leverage over North Korea […] Simply put, a Trump-Kim summit is not on the cards for the time being.”

Scott Snyder, director of the Korea Economic Institute, expressed concern that Seoul’s influence may be waning.

“I think that South Korea is no longer positioned to be an intermediary — a much greater risk of Korea-passing,” he said.

Nonetheless, the incoming president argues that perseverance in diplomacy is preferable to the alternative — a continued spiral of missile tests, military drills and near-misses that could spark a larger conflict. By seeking to lower tensions through dialogue, Lee hopes to stabilize inter-Korean relations and lay the groundwork for eventual denuclearization talks, aligning with a potential renewed U.S. diplomatic push on North Korea.

Amid efforts to bolster international credibility for his North Korea policy, Lee’s campaign drew attention by claiming endorsement from renowned investor Jim Rogers, chairman of Rogers Holdings and co-founder of the Quantum Fund with George Soros. Known for his longstanding interest in North Korea’s economic potential, Rogers had previously joined Lee in a 2022 virtual roundtable on reducing the so-called “Korea discount” through peace-driven economic engagement.

The DP claimed on May 29 that Rogers had expressed support for Lee, issuing a statement attributed to him urging “all Koreans” to back Lee’s “bold vision” for inter-Korean economic cooperation.

However, Rogers quickly issued a public denial, telling Korean media he had not endorsed Lee or any Korean candidate and reportedly calling the campaign’s claim a “complete fraud.”

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, right, and then-U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg pose for a photo after signing a new Special Measures Agreement on defense cost-sharing at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Nov. 4, 2024. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]

Challenges ahead: U.S. burden-sharing and global summits

Having run on ambitious diplomatic and security promises, President-elect Lee now faces immediate tests on the world stage.

Chief among them will be navigating relations with Washington under changed geopolitical circumstances.

The United States is expected to press Seoul to increase its share of defense costs for hosting 28,500 American troops in South Korea — a perennial alliance issue that could soon come to a head.

Most recently, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Saturday that “China seeks to become a hegemonic power in Asia” and “hopes to dominate and control too many parts of this vibrant and vital region.”

He then called out countries “seeking both economic cooperation with China and defense cooperation with the United States” — a veiled critique of allies like South Korea — and urged partners to “do their part.”

Lee acknowledged that U.S. troop deployments in Korea play a “very important role” in America’s containment policy against China during his campaign on May 29, but he is also expected to push back against what he views as excessive burden-sharing demands.

In a media interview on Monday, Lee addressed upcoming trade negotiations with Trump.

“When one side suffers all the losses, that’s not diplomacy — that’s exploitation,” Lee said. “That’s what you do when you’re paying tribute.”

This could become an early friction point with Washington.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Korea Harry Harris, who served during Trump’s first term, acknowledged that negotiations over defense cost sharing could indeed be revisited under Trump’s second term.

“I think that both governments agreed on a new cost-sharing agreement [last October], but that's no guarantee that it can't be changed,” Harris said during the Jeju Forum on Friday, noting that Trump “will ask our allies to do more.”

Lee will also soon step onto the global diplomatic stage with hardly any prior experience in foreign affairs.

South Korea is expected to participate in major gatherings such as the Group of 7 summit from June 15 to 17 and NATO’s annual leaders’ meeting from June 24 to 25.

At these multilateral forums, analysts point out that the new president will need to articulate his foreign policy vision to an international audience while allies will look for reassurance that Seoul remains committed to shared security goals.

BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]