my timesThe Korea Times
Kim Won-soo
OpinionColumnsColumnists

Kim Won-soo

Kim Won-soo is the former Korean diplomat and the under-secretary-general of the United Nations for disarmament. He is now the chair of the international advisory board of the Taejae Future Consensus Institute and a chair professor at Kyung Hee University.

Read more

Kim Won-soo

COP29: Too little to avert climate hell

The 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) was recently concluded in Azerbaijan with a hard-fought outcome document. It was made possible through last-minute scrambling and hectic negotiations. It was better than no outcome, but it falls far short of the required level of ambition. It once again exposed the deep-rooted structural cleavages between and within nation states which have stood in the way of global climate action.

Dec 8, 2024By Kim Won-soo
COP29: Too little to avert climate hell
Kim Won-soo

Sober messages from American election, our tasks

The outcome of the U.S. presidential election came out much earlier than widely predicted. To the big surprise of most observers, it was a sweeping victory for former President Donald Trump. He made a very rare comeback to a nonconsecutive term, second in the U.S. electoral history, 132 years after the 1892 election. He also made history once again, being the oldest ever to be elected. The Republican Party is also set to control both houses of Congress.

Nov 11, 2024By Kim Won-soo
Sober messages from American election, our tasks
Kim Won-soo

ROK-US alliance 3.0 at 70

By Kim Won-sooPresident Yoon Suk Yeol paid a state visit to the United States last week at a doubly symbolic moment. This year South Korea and the United States celebrate 70 years of partnership in arms. But the celebration takes place under cloudy skies fraught with mounting volatility and uncertainty for the global and regional orders.Against this backdrop, President Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden seem to have paid close attention to two primary tasks at their meeting. The first was to redefine the alliance in accordance with rapidly changing global and regional geopolitics. The second was to reassure the South Korean public that the United States was strongly committed to the defense of South Korea, including in the event of a nuclear attack by North Korea. For the first task, both leaders affirmed that the alliance had now entered a new phase, which I will call 3.0 from hereon. Over the last seven decades, the alliance went through numerous ups and downs but proved to be resilient, withstanding challenges both internal and external to the alliance. It has evolved from a one-si

Apr 30, 2023By Kim Won-soo
Kim Won-soo

World Expo 2030: Elusive dream or watershed moment for Korea's takeoff?

By Kim Won-sooThis week marks a crucial milestone in Korea's years-long quest to host the World Expo 2030. A senior delegation from the World Expo Organization or Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) will visit Korea's candidate city, Busan, for an on-site inspection. The Enquiry Mission's assessment will play an instrumental role as over 170 member states of the BIE prepare to vote this November.Busan is competing against Riyadh of Saudi Arabia, Rome of Italy and Odesa of Ukraine to host World Expo 2030. Moscow was one of the aspirants as well, but withdrew its candidacy in May 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Even without Russia, however, the competition is no less tough. Saudi Arabia, in particular, is waging a fierce campaign around the world. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is leading the effort as a top national priority by pledging massive amounts of support, financial or otherwise. For Korea, the World Expo remains the only elusive element when it comes to hosting the triple crown of international mega-events; the Olympics (both summer and winter), the FIFA

Apr 3, 2023By Kim Won-soo
Kim Won-soo

Russian nuclear roulette

By Kim Won-sooAhead of its widely expected spring offensive in Ukraine, Russia announced its decision to suspend its participation in New START, a landmark nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia, which has recently been extended to Feb. 4, 2026. This decision is the latest in a series of Russian attempts to pressure the West through nuclear blackmail. The latest blackmail attempt can be understood as an extension of Russia's earlier threat to use nuclear weapons against any country trying to intervene in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These threats remind us of how easily a nuclear war could be triggered that could annihilate humanity. Given the high volatility of the current international security environment, perhaps it is not a surprise that this year's doomsday clock is set at 90 seconds to midnight, the closest ever to a man-made apocalypse. Seen from a realpolitik perspective, Russia's decision to suspend New START is not a sign of strength but one of weakness as it seems to reflect its growing desperation more than anything. As it stands now, Moscow

Mar 6, 2023By Kim Won-soo
Russian nuclear roulette
Kim Won-soo

Japan's new security policy: normalizing or remilitarizing?

By Kim Won-sooThe Japanese government has announced a new security policy aimed at acquiring counter-strike capabilities and doubling its defense expenditure over the next five years. This is a significant departure from Japan's long-held policy of limiting its security posture strictly to self-defense. It is also the second step taken by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)-led government to expand the mandate of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). The first attempt came in 2015 in the form of a new security law authorizing the JSDF's overseas deployment for U.N. peacekeeping operations and collective self-defense activities. The latest security policy should be understood in the broader context of a rising security dilemma in East Asia. A recent opinion poll shows that the Japanese public's support for counter-strike capabilities has risen in response to the heightening of perceived threats from its neighbors. Russia's invasion of Ukraine and North Korea's repeated missile tests over the territorial waters of Japan have both contributed to underpinning this perception.In the face o

Feb 6, 2023By Kim Won-soo
Kim Won-soo

Decoding Korea's Indo-Pacific Strategy

By Kim Won-sooThe phrase Indo-Pacific has become quite fashionable in international relations lately. It has replaced Asia-Pacific as the main term describing the evolving geopolitical dynamics across the region, which includes players from North America and Oceania.Many factors are behind the emerging Indo-Pacific concept. A main factor is the rise of Asia, in particular China, in world politics. It also reflects the significance of the growing competition between the two camps, one led by the United States and the other by China. The U.S. side is primarily maritime-oriented, while the Chinese side is largely continental. This competition between maritime and land powers is an age-old story, strongly reminiscent of Cold War rivalries. Both camps are trying hard to attract the countries that are on the fence. As a result, the fault line is being drawn across Southeast, Southwest and West Asia. So far, Indo-Pacific strategies have emerged largely among the countries within and close to the American camp. Certainly, China is watching this development closely and becoming increasingly w

Jan 2, 2023By Kim Won-soo
Kim Won-soo

North Korean riddle: what next after nuclear test?

By Kim Won-sooNorth Korea is ramping up pressure through a series of missile tests and harsh verbal attacks against South Korea's top government officials. The intensity of North Korean provocations is well illustrated by a record number of missiles launched on one day ― over twenty ― as well as the unprecedented frequency of missile tests averaging more than once a week for the last three months. Most observers concur that the seventh nuclear test is imminent. It is simply a matter of when, not if.Why is North Korea doing this? North Korea is experiencing arguably one of its toughest periods both internally and externally. It is facing the triple perils of regime failure, international sanctions and self-imposed COVID-19 restrictions. North Korea's saber-rattling could be a diversion intended for domestic audiences or a temper tantrum intended for external audiences. It could also be based on the North Korean leadership's conviction that nuclear weapons are the ultimate key to regime survival. This conviction has most likely been reinforced by what has befallen Ukraine after it had

Dec 5, 2022By Kim Won-soo
North Korean riddle: what next after nuclear test?
previous page
12345
next page

Top 5 stories