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| yna@yna.co.kr 2025-06-26 15:56:50
SEOUL, June 26 (Yonhap) -- Amid rising global uncertainty sparked by the potential return of Donald Trump to the White House, leading domestic and international experts gathered to explore strategic responses by the Lee Jae-myung administration at the “2025 Korean Peninsula Symposium,” co-hosted by Yonhap News Agency.
Held on Thursday at The Shilla Hotel in central Seoul, the symposium was jointly organized by Yonhap, the Ministry of Unification, the Institute for National Security Strategy, and the Yonhap Northeast Asia Center under the theme: “Trump 2.0 and the Shifting Global Order: Strategic Responses for the New Administration.”
In a congratulatory address read by is press secretary Lee Kyu-youn, the South Korean President said, “The world is entering an unprecedented period of transition in the global economic and security landscape. The government will pursue pragmatic diplomacy centered on national interest, turning complex global crises into opportunities.”
President Lee emphasized bolstering the U.S.-Korea alliance while also strengthening relations with Japan and China from a pragmatic, national-interest-driven perspective.
At the opening ceremony, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik urged bipartisan cooperation in foreign policy and national security, saying, “In these turbulent times, we must go beyond political divisions to respond collectively.” He cited the nonpartisan delegation sent abroad during the 12.3 martial law crisis and impeachment process as a successful example of united national messaging.
Vice Unification Minister Kim Nam-jung noted the administration had already taken its first steps in tackling difficult inter-Korean issues, including halting leaflet distribution and loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea. “Our approach is not based on ideology or emotion, but on pragmatism. We aim to create a tangible sense of peace in people’s lives,” he said in his welcoming remarks.
Ruling party lawmaker Rep. Cho Jeong-sik Cho Jung-sik, Chair of the Democratic Party’s Foreign Affairs and National Security Committee, addressed in his keynote speech that the complexities of diplomacy in the current climate. “U.S.-China strategic competition, North Korean threats, and realignment of global supply chains all require a finely-tuned foreign policy centered on national interest—not ideological battles between ‘autonomy’ and ‘alliance.’ Pragmatic diplomacy is the way forward,” he said.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon called for an evolution of the U.S.-Korea alliance from a security provider-beneficiary model to a mutual partnership, labeling it “Alliance 2.0.”
U.S. Representative Young Kim emphasized the urgency of strengthening trilateral cooperation between the U.S., South Korea, and Japan amid growing threats from North Korea, China, and Russia. “We’ve made historic progress, and this partnership must deepen regardless of political leadership,” she said.
Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Mizushima underscored the necessity of tight-knit Korea-Japan communication, stating, “This is not a matter of choice but of necessity for both nations’ national interest, and it remains unchanged under President Lee.”
U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D–NJ), the first Korean American senator, criticized former President Trump’s tariff policies. “These tariffs have hurt our ability to forge the partnerships we need to counter our rivals,” he said, urging efforts to reduce tariffs and create a new economic partnership framework.
Two in-depth discussion sessions followed the opening ceremony.
Session 1, titled “Rising U.S. Isolationism: Shifts in Trade, Diplomacy, and Security,” was moderated by Han Seok-hee, President of the Institute for National Security Strategy. Panelists included Kim Hyun-wook, Director of Sejong Institute, Zack Cooper, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), Hideshi Tokuchi, President of the Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS), Japan, and Ryu Yong-wook, Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.
Session 2, titled “Turning Challenges into Opportunity: Policy Recommendations,” was chaired by Yoon Young-kwan, Chair of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. Panelists included, Ahn Ho-young, former Ambassador to the U.S. and Distinguished Professor at Kyungnam University, Lim Sung-nam, former Vice Foreign Minister and Ambassador to ASEAN, Yoo Myung-hee, former Trade Minister and Visiting Professor at Seoul National University, and Lee Si-wook, President of the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP).
The symposium, now in its 11th year, is a major annual event for discussing developments on the Korean Peninsula and has been co-hosted by Yonhap and the Unification Ministry since 2015.
In his opening remarks, Yonhap News Agency President and CEO Hwang Dae-il noted, “This is the first large-scale global forum on geopolitical strategy since the inauguration of the new government. As the national news agency, Yonhap will continue to support Korea’s advancement as a diplomatic and security powerhouse, and in its journey toward peace and reunification.”
The entire symposium was streamed live on Yonhap’s YouTube channel with simultaneous interpretation in Korean and English.
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