On diplomatic protocol

By Kim Ji-myung

Neither the President of Korea nor of the United States seem to care much about diplomatic protocol, by what we have witnessed during their summit in Washington D.C.

Before leaving Seoul, Wednesday, President Moon Jae-in asked his staff to reduce the level of protocol required in the seeing-off and welcoming-back processes. The size of the entourage from the Cabinet accompanying him was reportedly kept to a minimum.

U.S. President Donald Trump, on his part, also seems to be the last person to pay attention to formalities. Upon their first encounter the two leaders may have confirmed unexpected commonalities, such as in their focus on pragmatic practices and tradition-destroying behavior.

Since former President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment last year, many bilateral issues have remained suspended, waiting for solutions in one form or another, while many months have passed with no official contact between the leaders of the two nations.

Subtle military and diplomatic issues on top of diverse economic problems will pressure President Moon, who has been in office just over 50 days, being assisted by Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha ― who may need assistance herself rather than serving as an aide to anyone.

Washington announced that the Korean presidential couple would be warmly welcomed, and accommodated at Blair House for three days.

President Moon not only wanted light protocol arrangements but also mentioned that he does not anticipate achieving much on this first visit to America. What does he intend to do as Koreans watch this summit? Do personal contacts between political leaders ever bring about deep and lasting results?

As far as North Korean nuclear issues are concerned, many Koreans believe that agreements reached with Pyongyang have meant nothing; we and the world have been deceived.

Only those very patient personalities or those very sympathetic for the North because they have relatives there will agree to try again to bring that regime to negotiations. To know someone in person or to have kin there makes a big difference in feelings toward any area or nation.

However, besides and far beyond personal feelings, national interest based on state power dominates international relations, according the late Prof. Hahm Byung-choon. An articulate scholar from Harvard and once the Korean Ambassador to the United States, he emphatically reiterated the grave reality of “power politics” in international negotiations. He had to face overwhelming frustration sitting as a diplomat representing a weaker party.

In April, 1978, he had an interview with the Washington Post about the South Korean initiative for independent defense capabilities halted by the United States.

The Washington Post quoted Prof. Hahm as saying that American reluctance to permit Korea’s nuclear development “is a reflection of the West's assumed moral superiority, a conviction that Asians aren’t to be trusted.” Many Korean intellectuals “are torn between their acknowledged reliance on Americans for defense and their resentment at being what one called over-managed by American officials” as the Post put it.

Even in this wired world of internet-led globalizing cultures, diplomatic protocol still has significant implications, because how one party treats the visiting guest shows relative positioning. Presidential visits follow different protocols depending on the three levels of status: state, official and working visits.

When President Chun Doo-hwan visited Bonn, then West Germany, in April 1986, he was not offered a chair at his meeting with Chancellor Helmut Kohl according to reports. A cartoon in a local newspaper depicted the Korean President standing in front of the German chancellor’s desk, facing his German partner who was sitting in his chair, if my memory is correct.

President Chun was an unwelcomed leader who took power by unlawful means. Official sources said that Korea’s hopes to make President Chun’s “state visits” to three European countries were not accepted, mainly because of too short notice, rather than political considerations.

The standard diplomatic protocol manuals state elements like ceremony, etiquette, titles, correspondence, savoir-vivre, wardrobe and dining are crucial. Yes, they came from Western traditions, and it is true that power controls reality in real politics. But since diplomatic protocols are now global standards, proper understanding and application would be beneficial to our nation.

Kim Ji-myung is the chairwoman of the Korea Heritage Education Institute (K*Heritage). Her email address is Heritagekorea21@gmail.com.