By Jun Ji-hye
The Moon Jae-in government is facing growing concerns over its unstable foreign affairs and security lineup amid a pile of diplomatic challenges and pending thorny issues.
Various controversies involving presidential security aides are apparently making it harder for Moon to adjust diplomatic relations with the U.S. and China as well as Japan.
With Washington and Beijing, Seoul first needs to resolve the issues related to the controversial deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system here. The comfort women matter is one situation to be resolved with Japan. South Korea needs to keenly cooperate with the three countries to curb North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.
But Moon’s two choices for special advisers for unification, foreign affairs and national security ― Moon Chung-in and Hong Seok-hyun ― have recently been embroiled in controversy over the former’s controversial remarks and the latter declining to work for the President. The two were named for the positions less than a month ago.
During his visit to Washington, Friday, Moon Chung-in said the scale of the allies’ joint exercises and the frequency of the dispatch of strategic U.S. assets to the Korean Peninsula could be reduced if the North stops its nuclear and missile programs.
National Security Office (NSO) chief Chung Eui-yong also faced criticism over his failure to prevent Moon Chung-in from making such remarks that could damage relations between South Korea and the United States, although the two met to discuss the issue before the latter left for the U.S.
It was belatedly known, Monday, that Hong refused to work as the special adviser to the President immediately upon being appointed. A Cheong Wa Dae official fell short of explaining the reasons for Hong’s rejection, only saying it was his “personal choice.”
Previously, Kim Ki-jung who was named as the second vice chief of the NSO, tendered his resignation on June 5, just 10 days after being appointed to the job.
The presidential office did not give any details on why he quit, only citing sudden health deterioration. But it was understood he was virtually removed from office due to his alleged “improper acts” while serving as a professor at Yonsei University, including sexual harassment allegations.
Cheong Wa Dae has been making efforts to remove controversies facing the presidential aides ― it cautioned Moon Chung-in to refrain from making controversial remarks, Monday. Then on Tuesday, President Moon named Nam Gwan-pyo, a former ambassador to Hungary, to replace Kim.
But it remains to be seen whether Moon’s foreign affairs and security lineup will operate properly with only about 10 days left until the South Korea-United States summit talks in Washington. A week after this summit, the G20 Summit will also take place in Germany, during which President Moon is expected to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping as well as U.S. President Donald Trump.
Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean Studies at Dongguk University, said President Moon will need to make full efforts to find the common denominator between Seoul and Washington at the earliest possible date to deal with sensitive issues including the THAAD deployment.
“We must not expect too much from the first attempt,” he said. “Moon will meet Trump at the G20 again. I believe it will be important for the two leaders to secure enough time to talk.”