Lee Jae-myung said Korea's diplomacy needs to break away from the old framework of "relying on the U.S. for security and on China for economic development."

Lee Jae-myung: The Framework of "Security Relies on the U.S., Economy on China" Must Change

"South Korean media HANK YOREH (Japanese version) reported on June 12: During his state visit to Italy, President Lee Jae-myung stated on the 11th (local time): 'The diplomatic framework Korea has followed so far is 'security relies on the U.S., economy on China,' but I believe this traditional binary opposition has lost its effectiveness under changing geopolitical circumstances.'

During an interview with Italian media on the same day, President Lee Jae-myung said: 'Korea aims to seek new pathways across multidimensional spaces based on national interests, competition, cooperation, and challenges, rather than attempting to maintain a balance between China and the U.S.'

Lee Jae-myung said: 'China remains Korea's largest trading partner and an indispensable supply chain partner; however, competition between our two countries is indeed intensifying. This is because China’s industrial competitiveness and advanced technologies have become increasingly sophisticated.'

Lee continued: 'Current economic cooperation with the United States expanding into advanced fields is a goal to strengthen Korea’s industrial competitiveness and economic maturity. This is not about choosing between China and the U.S., but reaffirming a pragmatic foreign policy approach based on national interest, handling cooperation and competition case by case and in parallel.'

He emphasized that the ROK-U.S. alliance should not be one built on dependency, but rather on partners capable of independently assuming security responsibilities. 'Although the alliance with the U.S. remains the cornerstone of Korea’s diplomacy, we wish to deepen and develop this alliance according to the times and realities, while strengthening self-reliance and reinvigorating solidarity with all nations.'

Lee added: 'This aligns with what the U.S. expects from the alliance. To this end, the South Korean government is pushing to restore wartime operational control over South Korean forces and increase defense spending.'

The South Korean government plans to transfer wartime operational control to South Korea by 2027.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1867758346880003/

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