File
[Current
Issues and Policies] 2020-01
Dr. Eunsook
Chung
Director of the
Department of Security Strategy Studies
The Sejong
Institute
English Abstract
Earlier this month on February 4, 2020, UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a New Year’s speech at the press conference held inside the UN headquarters in New York. His analysis could be summarized as a “vicious cycle” and a “wind of madness (狂風).” His words represented the plight of the UN Secretary-General, a top administrator of the UN that stands at the apex of global governance in the 21st Century. Challenges in all areas, such as (i) peace and security (ii) climate change (iii) poverty and inequality, indicate that both the UN and humankind are facing critical issues in 2020. His central message rests on the notion that all world leaders of 2020 should seek more effective solutions in each respective area and thus put on more effort to break a vicious cycle. This article analyzes global affairs of 2020 with a more macro perspective based on the UN Secretary-General’s New Year’s speech. Also, I intend to shed light on policy implications for South Korea, which has become a middle power country with the support of the international community after the war, to contribute to the ending of vicious cycles in areas including peace and security, climate change, and sustainable development, and to seek a win-win strategy between national interests and global security and prosperity in a longer perspective.