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Newsletter Vol. 84 (April 2022)

2022-04-15 view : 883



   The Sejong Institute is a Leading Think Tank in Foreign, Security and National Unification Affairs in Korea and Beyond. 

   SEJONG NEWSLETTER
April 2022 (Vol. 84)
Sejong Foundation www.sejong.org
 New Release

Current Issues and Policies 2022-April
Foreign Policy Agenda for the Yoon Suk-yeol administration
The Editorial Committee
The Yoon Suk-yeol administration, which will be inaugurated on May 10, has many difficulties in establishing and implementing foreign policies because of a very unstable external environment. As the hegemonic competition between the United States and China intensifies, the international security situation has become more unstable. There is a growing possibility of military clashes in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. North Korea's nuclear and missile threats have resumed, and North Korea tends to cross the "red line" (ICBM and nuclear tests) set by the international community…
The Yoon Suk-yeol administration's North Korea Policy: Bipartisan North Korea Policy and Responses to North Korean Nuclear Programs
Cheong Seong-Chang
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol should form a "government of national unity" regarding his North Korea policy. It is desirable to appoint a reasonable centrist or progressive expert as the Minister of Unification to cooperate with the opposition parties and pursue a bipartisan policy like the Roh Tae-woo administration in the past. It is also necessary to form a strategic command that can integrate South Korea's missile capabilities and reconnaissance assets, a system that can effectively cope with North Korea's advanced nuclear and missile capabilities. Also, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration should have the public's trust in the U.S. "extended deterrence" by detailing the contents of extended deterrence through close consultations with the U.S.
The Yoon Suk-yeol administration's U.S. Policy Challenges
Woo Jung-Yeop
The policy direction discussed by President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol during election season indicates that the Republic of Korea seeks to increase its cooperation with the United States more than it had over the past five years. It is indisputable that in a security environment where economic and security matters continue to merge, strengthening the ROK-U.S. alliance is a desirable step in the interest of our nation. Given that the ROK has benefited from the global and regional order established by the United States over the past 70 years, it is in our interest to maintain this order. Nevertheless, the new administration must resolve any issues that may arise due to the costs and resistance incurred in the implementation of detailed policies through careful policy coordination with the United States.
The Yoon Suk-yeol administration's China Policy: Challenges and Tasks
Chung Jae-hung
Since Russia's recent invasion of Ukraine, various analyses and evaluations have been made on Sino-Russian relations. China and Russia are expected to at least continue their close response and cooperation not only in strategic security cooperation but also in all areas. China's Xi Jinping leadership recognizes five regions as possible global geopolitical flashpoints: 1. Ukraine 2. Afghanistan 3. the South China Sea 4. the Taiwan Strait 5. the Korean Peninsula. In this regard, the second great game between the U.S. (the West) and China (Russia) might be inevitable if not managed properly. In particular, the Biden administration of the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan under changing international conditions, apparently an attempt by the U.S. to strategically respond to China's military and security capabilities in the region, which covers the Taiwan Strait…
The Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s Japan Policy Challenges
Jin Chang Soo
As President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol emphasizes cooperation between the Republic of Korea and Japan, it is clear that there will be a new phase in the ROK-Japan relations, which was at the worst. President-elect Yoon has a high priority on ROK-Japan cooperation and has a strong will for ROK-U.S.-Japan cooperation in terms of foreign policy. The Yoon administration will be different from the Moon administration in that it places importance on ROK-Japan relations in international relations. The new administration's Japan policy will have to learn lessons from the previous administration's failed Japan policy. For the ROK and Japan to win-win, they must manage past historical issues, expand profits, and share strategies. Strategic diplomacy cannot be strengthened unless the political circles of the ROK and Japan break away from the feeling of exclusive nationalism...
The Direction of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's Russia Policy
Chung Eunsook
This year marks the 32nd anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Russia. This article briefly looks back on the previous administrations' Russia policies and prospects for the new administration's Russia policy. It first covers the background and motive of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the battlefield situation, and its repercussions. Then, it presents alternative measures for the new administration's Russia policy to the new government's policy toward Russia, reflecting the state of war in Ukraine...
The Yoon Administration's Foreign Policy Undertaking: Turning New Southern Policy into "Korea's Indo-Pacific Strategy"
Choi Yoon Jung
Korea has developed its foreign policy in consideration of changes in Korea's national status and international environment. The New Southern Policy sought to expand Korea's diplomatic horizon to ASEAN member countries and India. Now they are further strengthening cooperative relations with partner nations and each other to meet their own internal demands of sustainable economic growth, security enhancement, and social development and to cope with external factors such as confrontation between the blocs triggered by the intensifying rivalry between the United States and China. Based on the experience and lessons learned in implementing the New Southern Policy, the incoming Yoon administration should develop a "Korea's Indo-Pacific strategy" that maximizes Korea's national interests by incorporating the needs from the region itself and fine-tuning with the Indo-Pacific strategies of the like-minded countries, including the United States.

 April Institute Event Announcement

1.Sejong National Strategic Forum
  1) Date and Time: April 13 (Wednesday), 09:30 - 17:20
  2) Location: The Sejong Institute Big Conference Room
  3) Topic: “International environmental changes and the next administration's foreign, security and
      North Korean policies”
    
2.Center for Japanese Studies Korea-Japan Press Forum
  1) Date and Time: April 14 (Thursday), 10:00 - 12:00
  2) Location: The Sejong Institute Small Conference Room (2nd floor), hybrid
  3) Topic: “Prospects of Korea-Japan relations and policy direction after the Korean presidential
      election”
3.Colloquia
  1) 7th Colloquium
     - Date and time: April 12 (Tuesday), 10:00 - 11:30
     - Location: Small Conference Room
     - Topic: The Problem of the use of Nominal Nuclear Weapons in the Ukraine Crisis
     - Presenter: Kim Jungsup Vice President
     - Host: Lee Daewoo Director of the Department of Security Strategy Studies

  2) 8th Colloquium
     - Date and time: April 19 (Tuesday), 10:00 - 11:30
     - Location: Small Conference Room
     - Topic: Slump of Technology and the Fall of Chinese Economy: China's Technology Level in Light of
       the Semiconductor Industry
     - Presenter: Kim Kisoo Senior Research Fellow
     - Host: Choi Yoon Jung Director of the Department of Diplomatic Strategy Studies
4.3rd Sejong Policy Forum
   - Date and time: April 20 (Wednesday), 14:00 - 18:00
   - Location: Somerset Palace Seoul
   - Topic: Direction and Challenges of Comprehensive Reconstruction of the ROK-U.S. alliance
5.4th Sejong Defense Forum
   - Date and time: April 20 (Wednesday), 10:00 - 12:00
   - Location: Somerset Palace Seoul
   - Topic: The Road to National Prosperity and Defense - Strategy to Promote the Five Great Powers in
     the Defense Industry

 Publication

Sejong Book Series
  Japan's Diplomacy in Strategic Competition between the U.S. and China: Continuation and Change of Suga's Foreign Policy

This study examines the Suga administration's foreign policy and its impact on Korea-Japan relations. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was born after Abe resigned, the longest prime minister in Japanese constitutional history. Suga emphasized continuity with the Abe administration and maintained Abe's foreign and security policies. In other words, the core of Japan's diplomacy is the Japan-U.S. alliance for Prime Minister Suga. He said that it is important to move forward with Asian countries on the basis of the U.S.-Japan alliance. He is not particularly different from Prime Minister Abe. Japan’s Diplomacy in Strategic Competition between the U.S. and China: Continuation and Change of Suga’s Foreign Policy is only available in Korean.

Sejong Policy Studies
Evaluation of South Korea’s Post-Cold War North Korea Policy: Evaluation and Policy Recommendations for Improvement | Hong Hyunik
The end of the Cold War has dramatically reshaped inter-Korean relations and the Korean Peninsula’s security landscape over the past decades. This paper aims to analyze and evaluate successive South Korean governments’ North Korea policy in the post-Cold War era. The evaluation criteria primarily adopted here are each administration’s attainment of policy goals including fostering and sustaining peace and stability, promoting co-prosperity, and laying the groundwork for peaceful reunification, as well as determination and commitments shown along the way. The Roh Tae-woo administration and the progressive South Korean administrations tended to show tangible achievements in improving inter-Korean relations. In contrast, under conservative South Korean administrations except for the Roh Tae-woo administration, political ideology frequently strained inter-Korean relations with multiple eruptions of conflicts…

Sejong Policy Brief
(brief 2022-04) The Direction of South Korea’s Public Diplomacy with Japan | Jin Chang Soo
(brief 2022-05) Prospects of North Korea's Nuclear Missile Development in 2022 and Direction of the Military | Lee Sangmin
(brief 2022-06) Evaluation of the Taiwan Strait Tension in the wake of the recent Ukraine crisis | Lee Dongmin, Chung Jae-hung

 Policy · Academic Events

Fifth Colloquium of 2022
On March 15th (Tuesday), at the Sejong Institute's fifth colloquium of 2022, Lee Sangmin, head of the North Korean Military Research Office at the Korea Defense Institute, presented the "Prospects of North Korea's nuclear missile development and military response direction in 2022." The forum was hosted by Cheong Seong-chang, Director of the Center for North Korean Studies. The contents of the presentation and discussion will be published later in Sejong Policy Brief.
Sixth Colloquium of 2022
On March 22nd (Tuesday), at the Sejong Institute's sixth colloquium of 2022, Lee Dongmin, Professor at Dankook University, and Chung Jae-hung, Research Fellow at the Sejong Institute, presented "Evaluation of the Taiwan Strait Crisis in the wake of the recent Ukraine crisis." The forum was hosted by Lee Daewoo, Director of the Department of Security. The contents of the presentation and discussion will be published later in Sejong Policy Brief.
Second Policy Forum of 2022
The Sejong Institute held its second Policy Forum on the topic of “Prospects of North Korea's advanced nuclear and missile capabilities and the new government's international and domestic strategies” at the Somerset Palace located in Seoul on March 23 (Wednesday). The forum began with the opening speech of President Lee Sang Hyun of the Sejong Institute. Cheong Seong-Chang, Director of the Center for North Korean Studies of the Sejong Institute, moderated sessions. The first session was themed "Prospects of North Korea's advanced nuclear and missile capabilities and the new government's international strategies" and the second session was themed "the new government's strategy for dealing with North Korea's nuclear issue and the direction of its bipartisan policy toward North Korea."
Sejong Institute Webinar Series I
The Sejong Institute, on March 30, 2022 (Wednesday), held the Sejong Institute Webinar Series I under the theme of "South Korea's New Administration and ROK-U.S. Relations (Old Challenges and New Opportunities)" online. President Lee Sang Hyun of the Sejong Institute hosted the event. As experts of Korean side, Song Kiyoung, Director of Foreign Policy Strategy and Security of Institute for National Security Strategy, and Jeong Gu-young, Professor of Kangwon University, participated. As U.S. experts, Scott Snyder (Senior Fellow, Council Foreign Relations) and Jenny Town (Senior Fellow, Stimson Center) presented and discussed issues.
Third Cybersecurity Forum
Sejong Cybersecurity Center held its third Sejong Cybersecurity Forum on Wednesday, March 30 at the Somerset Palace Hotel (Seoul) under the theme of "Russia-Ukraine War: the Role and Implications of Cyber Operations." With Russia's invasion of Ukraine causing a major stir in international affairs, Sejong Cybersecurity Center planned the forum to analyze the role of cyber operations in hybrid warfare on the modern battlefield and to seek implications of the Republic of Korea's national cyber security. The Sejong Cybersecurity Forum was held successfully. At the forum, Professor Kim Sangbae of Seoul National University presented "Understanding the Ukrainian War: Focusing on the Development of Cyber Warfare, Information Warfare, and Psychological Warfare", Professor Lee Soo-Jin of Korea National Defense University presented " Future Joint Battleground Victory: Offensive Integrated Cyber Operations” and suggested the direction in which Korean military cyber operations should proceed, and Dr. Shin So Hyun of the Sejong Institute presented “International Legal Analysis of Cyber-Armed Conflict: Centered on the Initiation of War and the Actors”. In addition, various related experts participated in the discussions, including Professor Lim Jong In of Korea University, Professor Yoo Joon Ku of Korea National Diplomatic Academy, Professor Woo Hee Chul of Defence Agency for Spiritual and Mental Force Enhancement, Professor Kim Jae Kwang of Korean Cyber Security Law and Policy Association, Dr. Yoon Jung Hyun of Korean Association of World Politics of Information, Dr. Shin Yongju and Dr. Lee Kyung Bok of Korea Institute for Defense Analyses.
 Column/Interview
[Column] Suggestions for Yoon to build facts-based foreign policy/Moon Chung-in [Hankyoreh]
[Interview] Chinese diplomat keeps up active diplomacy on North Korea after ICBM test / Cheong Seong-chang [NK News]
[Interview] Pyongyang will not fire 'single bullet' toward Seoul: Kim Yo-jong / Cheong Seong-chang [Yonhap News]
韓專家答中評:通話表清中韓兩國各自立場/郭至君 [CRNTT]
Western unity starts at home/Charles Kupchan [The Korea Herald]
Germany Should Convene a Conference of Sandwiched Countries/Moon Chung-in [International Politik]
North Korea goes Hollywood with dramatic missile launch footage/Cheong Seong-chang [France 24]
韩国料将参与印太经济框架 学者:符合韩国利益/葛静怡 [VOA]
What to Expect for US-ROK Relations and Inter-Korean Relations Under Yoon Suk-yeol/Lee Sang Hyun [38 NORTH]
[Interview] With U.S. Focus on Ukraine, North Korea Launches a Powerful New ICBM / Cheong Seong-chang [The New York Times]
[Interview] Analysts fear opportunities for dialogue are fading / Cheong Seong-chang [The New York Times]
North Korea fires ’unforgivable’ missile in largest test since 2017/Cheong Seong-chang [Hearld Sun]
UN chief 'strongly condemns' North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile launch/Cheong Seong-Chang [France 24]
North fires four projectiles in an hour/Cheong Seong-chang [Korea JoongAng Daily]
South Korea’s geopolitics: Challenges and strategic choices/Moon Chung-In & Sung-won Lee [Melbourne Asia Review]
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Political Satire Series Returns to Netflix amid Russian Invasion/Charles Kupchan [People]
Silence in North Korea after its failed ballistic test/Cheong Seong-chang [Paris Beacon]
Could a Russian strike on Poland trigger Article 5 and bring NATO into war?/Charles Kupchan [Poynter]
North Korea silent after missile explodes over Pyongyang/Cheong Seong-chang [France 24]
Kim Jong Un’s regime suffers dangerous missile launch failure/Cheong Seong-chang [Financial Times]
Oil Deal Russia: Oil Deal With Russia To Go Through Soon, Sources Say/Cheong Seong-chang [Verve Times]
North Korea suspected ballistic missile explodes after launch/Cheong Seong-chang [RTE]
North Korea 'projectile' launch ends in failure/Cheong Seong-chang [France 24]
NATO Is a Good Investment in Security for Europe/Charles Kupchan [Newsweek]
Inside The Exploding Anti-Feminist Movement Of South Korea/S. Nathan Park [Feminism in India]
We call on Biden to reject reckless demands for a no-fly zone Open letter/Charles Kupchan [The Guardian]
What we know— and don’t know —about how many people have been killed in the Russian invasion of Ukraine/Charles Kupchan [The Washington Post]
Yoon’s foreign policy agenda prioritizes ties with US, sows seeds of conflict with N. Korea, China/Cheong Seong-chang [Hankyoreh]
Volodymyr Zelensky compared to 'fearless' Tom Hanks amid Ukraine war/Charles Kupchan [The News International]
US sends sizable contingent to Norway for giant NATO exercise in region rattled by Russia/Charles Kupchan [Stars and Stripes]
South Korea sees imminent prospect of North ICBM test, reports say/Cheong Seong-chang [Japan Times]
N. Korea’s test of new ICBM system after presidential election raises tensions on peninsula/Cheong Seong-chang [Hankyoreh]
North Korean media gives understated coverage on victory of Yoon Suk-yeol/Cheong Seong-chang [Blitz]
Misogyny and Real Estate Tax Produced Conservative Victory in South Korea/S. Nathan Park [Foreign Policy]
Russian Sphere of Influence: What is it? What Could It Be?/Timo Kivimäki [World Financial Review]


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