Link to article: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-joe-biden-business-china-asia-fbb6b23a0b8ffeecc405474e5ece7ace
The foreign and domestic policy of South Korea is up in the air, with the presidential election between frontrunners conservative Yoon Suk Yeol and liberal Lee Jae-myung coming on March 9. Analysts in Asian Policy have criticized both candidates in the race for their ambiguity and lack of clarity on their foreign policy positions. South Korea faces rising tensions with their neighbors, including Japan, China, and North Korea. South Korean relations with Japan are in poor condition, which could be detrimental to Western hegemony in Asia. China’s alliance with North Korea and their partnership with nuclear weapons development is also a source of conflict that has arisen in the election. Conservative Yeol takes a more aggressive approach with China, whereas Jae-myung is more moderate in terms of aggression. On the candidates’ opinions on foreign relations, Yeol has given a list of foreign presidents he intends to meet with if elected, starting with U.S. president Biden. Yeol and Jae-myung also have differing interpretations of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Both candidates admonished Russia’s invasion, but Jae-myung criticized Ukrainian president Zelenskyy for his insistence that Ukraine join NATO. Yeol, however, used the invasion to show how having powerful allies is key to safety.
Both candidates in South Korea are political novices, which I believe might be very beneficial in this situation; fresh relationships with foreign leaders can be positive for restarting relationships, in this example, with Japan. In my view, I see both candidates as having valid points, but I agree the most with Yeol’s more “assertive” positions on foreign relations. I predict that South Korean and Japanese relations will continue to improve out of necessity. Both countries, through their disputes, must continue to work together to thwart China and North Korea. The election in South Korea is also important due to how pertinent Asian relations are to current global markets. Much trade goes through the region, and South Korea has the potential to control much of this. Additionally, they have leverage with the human rights violations in Myanmar. ASEAN’s relations with Myanmar have also been strained in recent times, and I think that the elected president of South Korea will have a large responsibility just relating to Myanmar.
ASEAN’s attempts at coercing Myanmar to comply with its regulations can be compared to class discussions and lectures on international law and IGO enforcement of regulations. Although it has not yet been discussed in class, the domestic governments of countries, as shown in this situation, can drastically affect global situations. Also, the closeness of the race in South Korea reflects class discussions on the contentious issues surrounding the best way to deal with maintaining hegemony in Asia. Many of the same issues are discussed in American politics, but not to the extent to which it is discussed in countries such as Japan or South Korea.