Ukraine: Yoon's foreign policy failure

Yoon's foreign policy failures increase South Korea's risk profile in economic and national security terms.

North Korea has increased its cooperation with Russia and will now potentially either directly or indirectly support Russia’s war in the Ukraine.

This puts the Yoon Administration in a quandary. South Korea must make a decision on increasing its support for Ukraine, and ending its self-imposed restriction on the donation of lethal weapons to Ukraine.

Cornered by rhetoric?

Since coming to power, Yoon has promoted South Korea as a ‘global pivotal state’, expressed the administration’s support for freedom, democracy, and rule of law, and integrated South Korea into the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific framework.

This foreign policy position is values-centered, built on conservative, liberal-democratic values. It is a natural assumption that any state holding these values would support a “fellow” liberal-democratic state invaded by an authoritarian state.

Comparisons include Australia, Canada, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, and Germany who all, to varying degrees and at varying speeds of implementation…