As strategic rivalry between Washington and Beijing worsens, South Korea, often cited as a classic victim of balance of power determinism among great powers, finds itself in an increasingly difficult position. Seoul’s pains of navigating external hardships has been exacerbated by the internal turmoil of Yoon Suk-yeol’s martial law and subsequent impeachment. His successor, President Lee Jae-myung has vowed to take a different approach – but what does his ‘pragmatist’ foreign policy mean in practice? What is the new government’s strategy regarding the United States, China and Japan? Can Seoul return to the ‘Sunshine Policy’ of diplomatically engaging North Korea with the goal of denuclearization, when it has become ever so clear that Pyongyang will not give up its nuclear weapons? Could South Korea under Lee Jae-myung also step on the road of nuclearization instead? This episode of HIIA’s podcast looks for answers with the help of a special guest, Dr. Moon Chung-in, James Laney Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Yonsei University, Director of the Institute of Peace Affairs and Global Neighbors Fellow, who has served as special adviser to multiple South Korean governments and had a great role in shaping Seoul’s policies of engagement with Pyongyang. The conversation is moderated by Angelina Nagy, Research Fellow of HIIA.
The Budapest Outlook is the podcast channel of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs.