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Key Points

President Lee Jae Myung emphasizes South Korea's commitment to standing with the United States while carefully managing relations with China. He warns that South Korea risks becoming the "front line" in global power competition if diplomatic balance isn't maintained. The president proposes a new approach to North Korea involving sanctions relief in exchange for nuclear program freezes. Lee also reveals tense trade negotiations with the US that he says could lead to his impeachment if accepted.

Key Points: South Korea President Lee Jae Myung Balances US Alliance with China Relations

  • South Korea seeks to act as bridge between US and China in new global order
  • Lee proposes sanctions relief for North Korea nuclear freeze
  • US-South Korea alliance tested by immigration and trade tensions
  • Past strategy of security with US and economy with China no longer viable
3 min read

South Korean Prez says will stand together with US but need to manage ties with China

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung says Seoul must stand with US while managing China ties to avoid becoming "front line" in global power competition.

"If not, there is a risk that South Korea could become the front line of a battle between two different blocs - President Lee Jae Myung"

Seoul, Sep 18

South Korea President Lee Jae Myung has said the country will stand together with the United States, Seoul's longtime ally, in the new global order, but voiced the need to manage relations with China.

"We will stand together with the US in the new global order, as well as supply chains centred on the US, but there is a need for us to manage our relationship with China so as not to antagonise them," Lee said, Yonhap reported, citing the President's interview with the US weekly magazine TIME.

If not, there is "a risk that South Korea could become the front line of a battle between two different blocs," Lee was quoted as saying on the occasion to mark his 100 days in office.

Lee said South Korea's past strategy of "relying for security on the US and economically on China" is no longer viable amid a radical shift in the geopolitical environment.

Instead, Lee told the magazine that South Korea hopes to act as a "bridge" between the US and China to prevent relations from spiralling in the new era of great power competition.

While working to strengthen ties with Washington, the alliance has been tested by a recent immigration crackdown on South Korean workers at a battery plant construction site in Georgia and by ongoing trade negotiations over Seoul's US$350 billion investment pledge in return for lowering US tariffs to 15 per cent.

He described the talks as tense, saying US demands have been so strict that "if I were to agree, then I would be impeached! So I asked the US negotiating team for a reasonable alternative."

On North Korea, Lee said South Korea could consider sanctions relief in return for Pyongyang freezing its nuclear and missile programs as part of his phased denuclearisation road map.

Lee threw his support for "negotiations to partially ease or lift sanctions" on North Korea in exchange for a three-stage process: suspension, reduction and finally denuclearisation.

"As our short-term goal, we should stop their nuclear and missile programs. And we might be able to compensate them for some of these measures and afterwards then pursue disarmament and then complete denuclearisation," Lee told Time. "I believe that President (Donald) Trump would be on the same page."

Lee stressed the need to find "a middle ground" through negotiations, arguing that past strategies of applying pressure solely through sanctions were no longer feasible.

"If we tell North Korea to just stop, would they stop their programs?" he asked. "I believe that if we continue to apply the current pressure, then … North Korea will continue to produce more bombs."

North Korea has been under strict UN sanctions since 2017 for its nuclear and missile programs, but is believed to have received food and other necessities from Russia in exchange for supplying military equipment and troops for the war in Ukraine.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
Interesting how smaller nations are caught in the US-China rivalry. South Korea's position reminds me of how India has to maintain relationships with both sides while protecting our national interests. The "bridge" concept is ambitious but risky! 🤔
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Arjun K
The North Korea approach seems practical. Continuous sanctions haven't worked - maybe incentives for freezing nuclear programs could be more effective. India has always advocated for dialogue over confrontation in such complex situations.
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Sarah B
As someone living in India, I appreciate how South Korea is trying to maintain sovereignty while dealing with superpowers. The US demands sound unreasonable - no leader should have to worry about impeachment for agreeing to foreign policy terms!
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Vikram M
The economic reality is that China is too important to ignore, even for US allies. South Korea's pragmatic approach makes sense. In today's interconnected world, complete alignment with one bloc is neither possible nor desirable for most countries.
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Michael C
While I understand the balancing act, I'm concerned about the North Korea approach. Offering sanctions relief might encourage other rogue states to pursue nuclear weapons as bargaining chips. There should be stronger consequences for proliferation.

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