Korean diplomacy put to test again

President Moon Jae-in holds hands with U.S. President Donald Trump during a G20 summit event in Germany in this July 2017 photo, with Chinese President Xi Jinping standing behind them. Korea is once again faced with diplomatic pressure over whether to side with the United States of America or the People's Republic of China. / Korea Times file

Moon accepts Trump's invitation to G7 Summit

By Kang Seung-woo

Amid the fast deterioration of ties between the United States and China, Korea, long-sandwiched between the two, is once again facing growing pressure to choose the “right side” in pursuing its foreign policy.

Last Friday's surprise replacement of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor missiles by the Korean and U.S. militaries has raised speculation that China might again opt for economic retaliation against Korean companies. In addition, U.S. President Donald Trump's unexpected invitation of Seoul to this year's G7 Summit is putting Seoul in the thick of worsening Sino-U.S. relations as the envisaged meeting is likely to serve as an attempt to contain China, Korea's largest trading partner.

Noting that Korea is being placed in a difficult diplomatic situation, experts advise the country to take an approach that best benefits its own interests.

Last Friday, Korean and American troops delivered new missiles to the U.S. THAAD base in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, in a surprise overnight operation to “replace older equipment.”

In the wake of the delivery, the Chinese foreign ministry confirmed its opposition to the U.S. deployment of THAAD on the Korean Peninsula ― despite the South Korean government's advance notification.

“China and South Korea have reached a clear consensus on a phased resolution to the THAAD issue. We hope that the South Korean side will strictly adhere to the agreement, properly deal with the THAAD issue, and uphold China-South Korea relations and regional peace and stability,” ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Friday.

“We urge the U.S. side not to do anything that hurts China's interests and disrupts China-South Korea relations.”

While Korea is seeking a visit to Seoul by Chinese President Xi Jinping this year to improve ties and relieve China's economic retaliatory measures against the THAAD deployment, the U.S., Korea's biggest ally, is calling on Seoul to join a movement to keep China at bay in their “new Cold War.”

Trump said, Saturday, that he wanted to invite South Korea and three more countries to an expanded Group of 7 Summit in September to talk about how to deal with the future of China, placing a bigger burden on the government here. He extended official invitation to President Moon Jae-in during their 15-minute phone conversation late Monday night, saying the G7 in its current format is too outdated to reflect the changing international situation and he is seeking to expand it to G11 or G12, Cheong Wa Dae announced.

Moon, in response, said he was willing to accept the invitation. “Moon welcomed and expressed gratitude for the invitation,” presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok said. “Moon also said the current G7 is limited to handling global issues and finding solution to them, so he agreed to President Trump's G7 expansion, adding it was an appropriate measure to invite Australia, India, Russia and Korea.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had previously said Sunday that Korea could be a “good partner” in efforts to safeguard Western values from Chinese threats.

“The possibility of the United States extending an invitation for South Korea to join the next G7 meeting, whenever it might be held, and China's protest over replacing THAAD interceptors are two more examples of how South Korea and others can be caught up in deteriorating Sino-U.S. relations,” Terence Roehrig, a professor at the U.S. Naval War College, told The Korea Times in an email interview.

“THAAD remains an irritation and China will remind Seoul and Washington of its displeasure every chance it gets. While the Chinese government was quick to criticize Washington for harming Sino-South Korea relations over replacing THAAD interceptors, Beijing has no problem damaging its ties with South Korea by punishing the South Korean economy over THAAD.”

Van Jackson, a professor of Victoria University of Wellington and a former Pentagon official, said Korea should take minimal risks for now and do what it can to run out the clock on the Trump administration with minimal drama.

“If I were South Korea, I would be very wary about taking risks in foreign policy simply because the U.S. asks me to. It is certainly hard to find good will for U.S. policies at a time when the U.S. is actively extorting South Korea through burden-sharing negotiations. And of course the Trump administration has repeatedly made big decisions that affect South Korea's fate without first consulting its ally,” Jackson said, also in an email interview.

“The U.S. right now is not capable of thinking through the risks it asks South Korea to take, and it will not lift a finger to protect South Korea from Chinese coercion.”

However, they also said Korea needs to take advantage of the opportunity to perform at the top table of international politics.

“Seoul should contribute to a summit at the top table of international politics. The countries of the G-7 won't form an anti-China coalition, but will rather strengthen international norms and cooperation,” said Leif-Eric Easley, an associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University.

“Regarding THAAD, South Korean national defense decisions should not be reversed by China's economic coercion. Allowing that to happen would be tantamount to a surrender of national sovereignty.”

With regard to the G-7 invitation, Roehrig said Korea should take advantage of the event to gain diplomatic presence. “The possibility of a G-7 invitation is an interesting development and has the potential to put South Korea in a difficult position concerning China but it also gives Seoul a seat at a very important table on many issues. South Korean leaders should view this as an opportunity to play a larger role in dialogue with other advanced economies along with the ability to work with others who have similar interests and help shape important decisions from the group.”