Korea's first NATO summit to show expanded global role: experts

President Yoon Suk-yeol holds a meeting with his staff ahead of the NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday (local time). Yonhap

China expected to respond in less threatening manner

By Kang Seung-woo

Korea's first-ever participation in a NATO summit will serve as a stepping stone for the Asian country to demonstrate that it can play a larger role outside of its region as well as engage in discussions related to its national interests, according to diplomatic observers.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is now attending the summit in Madrid, Spain, where he is meeting with a number of world leaders. Although Korea does not belong to the 30-member alliance, it was invited for the first time along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand as the organization's Asia-Pacific partners.

"Basically, we participate in such multilateral forums to prevent our national interests from being discussed without our input, and in such processes, we aim to expand our interests without compromising our national interests," said Kim Yeoul-soo, chief of the Security Strategy Office at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs.

"That is why President Yoon decided to join the NATO Summit with a view for Korea to become a 'global pivotal state.'"

Yoon has pledged to turn Korea into what he calls a global pivotal state that ― as he vowed in his inauguration speech, May 10 ― contributes to universal values and international norms, such as freedom, liberal democracy, human rights, sustainable growth and peace.

Soo Kim, a former CIA analyst and current policy analyst at the Rand Corporation, said Yoon's participation in the summit may serve as a critical "hook" for Seoul's integration into these high-profile multilateral organizations.

"Should this trip be successful, it will help burnish Seoul's international standing and demonstrate to the U.S. and NATO participants the potential for Seoul to play a greater role in such multi-party platforms," she said.

According to the presidential office, the government plans to enter into a new cooperation program with NATO in the second half of the year on the occasion of Yoon's attendance.

Harry Kazianis, the president of Rogue States Project, a bipartisan national security think tank in the U.S., said there were many areas of cooperation that must be pursued, saying that Korea's military is one of the finest in the world, and NATO is the most powerful alliance ever created.

"Both sides should be attending each other's military drills, and NATO and Korean forces should also be actively training in each other's war games and simulated operations and do all they can to work together," Kazianis said.

"Both sides face authoritarian threats that have military arsenals that could kill millions, so Korea-NATO cooperation is essential."

President Yoon Suk-yeol, center, takes part in a group photo with U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders during a gala dinner held at the Royal Palace of Madrid, Tuesday (local time). Yonhap

Along with the military cooperation, there must be something Korea can benefit from in terms of economic interests by expanding cooperation with NATO countries, Kim Yeoul-soo added.

Yoon's NATO trip comes as the Chinese government has been issuing harsh responses, warning that it could fray ties between Seoul and Beijing, because NATO is expected to label China a "systemic challenge" this week.

Last week, China's foreign ministry expressed its objection to the four Asia-Pacific countries ― Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand ― participating in the summit as partner nations.

"The Asia-Pacific is beyond the geographical scope of the North Atlantic," its spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, said during a press conference last Thursday. "Countries and people in the Asia-Pacific are strongly opposed to anything being said or done to extend the military bloc to this region or stir up division and confrontation."

In addition, The Global Times, China's state-run media outlet, said, Tuesday, that Seoul's relations with Beijing will be more complicated if the Yoon administration loses its diplomatic independence gradually by relying on the U.S., describing Yoon's participation as a step toward the Asia-Pacific expansion of NATO amid China's growing military power.

Previously, the deployment of the U.S.' THAAD missile defense shield in Korea sparked economic retaliation from China. Given China's status as Korea's largest trading partner, the Korean government had remained lukewarm on the U.S.-China rivalry.

However, experts have ruled out the possibility that China's economic retaliation would be as strong as before.

"Beijing will still be sensitive to Seoul's conduct around the NATO countries, but it's also likely to respond in a less threatening manner since Seoul's participation in NATO carries, for the most part, benign intent," said Soo Kim, adding that Korea's participation carries some "interesting" interpretations.

"On the one hand, Seoul's essentially not signing up with a single country ― the U.S., for instance. It seeks to participate and contribute to a collective effort whose interests span a number of issues ― China being only one of them," she said.

"In addition, by partnering up with this group, perhaps Seoul is looking for a more integrative buffer against Beijing's aggression down the road. Korea may seek to expand its network of partners, particularly in light of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine and the challenges we face in dealing with U.S.-China competition."

Describing China as a threat to Korea's democracy, economy and overall strategic position, Kazianis said, "China can complain all it wants, but President Yoon is making the right call trying to build partnerships with all nations ― especially those that are weary of Beijing's growing power."

In response to China's displeasure, the presidential office has repeatedly said Yoon's participation in the summit has nothing to do with a shift to an anti-China policy.

Kim Yeoul-soo said the Korean government should maintain that stance despite admitting that the current situation is mainly about seeking to contain China.

"Although the U.S. government keeps saying that it is not targeting China, it is true that NATO is broadening its priorities beyond Europe to the Asia-Pacific region to keep Beijing in check by inviting the four nations as guests," he said.

"However, the Korean government needs to stick to its existing position, or explain we are not joining the move to isolate China, while pursuing national interests by working together with multilateral forums."