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| 2026-05-31 06:00:08
(News Focus) Lee-diplomacy
(News Focus) Lee's 'pragmatic' diplomacy coasts through bumps in 1st year; N. Korea ties remain stalled
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, May 31 (Yonhap) -- The Lee Jae Myung government's "pragmatic" foreign policy has moved forward steadily in the first year of its five-year term despite multiple challenges, navigating U.S. tariff pressures and relations with China and Japan, easing doubts that had emerged when the liberal leader took office.
However, the lingering deadlock with North Korea, along with pending bilateral issues with the United States, signals yet another critical test for Lee's leadership in the years ahead.
Since taking office on June 4, Lee has championed a pragmatic diplomacy "centered on national interest," vowing to pursue foreign policy in ways that would maximize the interests of the country and its people.
Lee put that approach into practice by prioritizing the alliance with the U.S. as the cornerstone of his diplomacy, easing concerns that, like some of his liberal predecessors, he might place less emphasis on ties with Washington and lean closer to China.
"South Korea can no longer maintain a stance of (relying) on the U.S. for security and on China for the economy, as it did in the past," he said during a think tank session in Washington in August.
"South Korea is now in a position where it cannot act or make decisions that run counter to the fundamental policy direction of the U.S.," he added.
In line with this approach, Lee got off to a stable start with Trump at their first summit in Washington in August. The high-stakes meeting came just days after Seoul secured a reduction in U.S. "reciprocal" tariffs from 25 percent to 15 percent, in exchange for Seoul pledging a US$350 billion investment in the U.S.
The two countries later reached a final agreement on trade and security during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in late October.
Seoul secured U.S. backing for a nuclear-powered submarine project, as well as for uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing for peaceful purposes, marking a major turning point in its efforts to strengthen national security.
Lee also sought to maintain positive momentum in relations with Japan, easing doubts raised in some quarters, given his previously hawkish stance toward Tokyo as a lawmaker.
Upon taking office, he called for a two-track approach toward Tokyo, by addressing long-running historical and territorial disputes separately from the broader bilateral relationship, in which he saw the need for deeper cooperation amid a volatile geopolitical landscape.
Lee chose Japan as his first overseas destination as president, ahead of his August trip to Washington -- an unprecedented move as most of his predecessors had visited the U.S. first.
In less than a year in office, Lee held six bilateral meetings with his Japanese counterpart, including three with incumbent Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, demonstrating his commitment to maintaining the warming mood in the two countries' ties.
Lee's visit to Japan in January and Takaichi's recent reciprocal trip to Korea last week -- both of which took place in each other's hometowns -- reflected their commitment to continuing "shuttle diplomacy."
Lee has also reaffirmed the commitment to advancing trilateral partnership with the U.S. and Japan.
At the same time, the Lee government worked to improve ties with China, South Korea's biggest trading partner and a traditional ally of North Korea long considered to have key leverage over Pyongyang.
Bilateral relations with Beijing had cooled under the previous Yoon Suk Yeol government, as Yoon placed far greater emphasis on the alliance with the U.S.
Following Lee's first summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said the summit marked the "full restoration" of Seoul-Beijing ties.
"The two sides agreed to strengthen political trust between the two governments to solidify the foundation for the development of South Korea-China relations," Wi told reporters after the summit in November.
"We will activate regular high-level communication channels to enhance strategic dialogue on bilateral issues, as well as regional and global affairs," he said.
After the summit, China suspended sanctions on U.S.-based affiliates of South Korea's Hanwha Ocean Co. for one year. It later removed one of its three controversial steel structures from the overlapping maritime zone in the Yellow Sea, an issue that remains a point of contention with Seoul.
While the past year has brought some meaningful diplomatic progress for Lee and his government, a range of challenges still lies ahead.
Seoul faces the task of implementing its $350 billion investment pledge in order to keep lower U.S. tariff rates and advance security talks with Washington.
Delays in the parliamentary procedures required to carry out the agreement are believed to have slowed follow-up discussions on nuclear-powered submarines, uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing.
Another pressing issue for Seoul is U.S. concerns over what it describes as discriminatory treatment of Coupang Inc., a U.S.-listed e-commerce company, which is seen as having weighed on the follow-up security negotiations.
The transfer of wartime operational control from the U.S. is also expected to emerge as a major issue between the allies in the coming months, amid concerns over differing views on how the transition should proceed.
The stalled inter-Korean relations remain a major challenge.
Despite Seoul's rapprochement toward Pyongyang, North Korea has doubled down on its characterization of its relationship with the South as two hostile states, revising its constitution to remove all references to unification with the South.
A much-anticipated meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has yet to take place in over a year since Trump took office.
In its apparently latest outreach to Pyongyang, Seoul conveyed its willingness to engage in dialogue with the North via Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who visited the reclusive state last week before traveling to Seoul, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said in a recent interview with Yonhap.
"At this point, there are no visible signs of North Korea returning to dialogue," Cho said Thursday.
"But we have fully conveyed our willingness to engage in dialogue and our basic policy position through Singapore, and I believe North Korea will eventually respond to efforts to ease tensions and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, even if only gradually," he added.
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