Exclusive: South Korean leader says era of appeasing North Korea is over

The era of appeasing North Korea is over and any new talks between Seoul and Pyongyang must be initiated by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, South Korea’s new conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Monday. .

Speaking exclusively to CNN In his first press conference since taking office two weeks ago, Yoon said, “I think the ball is in President Kim’s court – it’s his choice to initiate a dialogue with us.”

North Korea has launched 15 missile tests so far this year – more than in the last two years combined – and last month Kim vowed to “strengthen and develop” its nuclear forces at “the highest possible speed”.

From his new presidential office in the former defense building in Seoul, Yoon told CNN that South Korea and its allies are ready to respond to any act of North Korean provocation.

“Just temporarily escaping the North Korean provocation or conflict is not something we should do,” he said, pointing to the previous Liberal government’s conciliatory strategy. “That kind of approach over the last five years has proven to be a failure.”

Yoon, a former prosecutor and political newcomer, has consistently emphasized his tougher stance on North Korea and his desire to strengthen the South’s military — a departure from predecessor Moon Jae-in, who had promoted dialogue and peaceful reconciliation.

Despite his stance, Yoon said on Monday that he did not want North Korea to “collapse”.

“What I want is shared and common prosperity on the Korean Peninsula,” he said, but added: “I don’t believe that increased nuclear capability [da Coreia do Norte] useful and conducive to the maintenance of international peace”.

USA, China and the Quad

Given the recent increase in North Korea’s missile tests and the resumption of activities at its underground nuclear test site, regional leaders were uneasy over the weekend when Yoon met with US President Joe Biden in Seoul.

US officials have warned that North Korea could be preparing for an underground nuclear or intercontinental ballistic missile test during Biden’s visit – his first trip to Asia since taking office.

So far, that hasn’t happened.

But the two men found a common interest, Yoon said, showing the CNN a gift received from Biden, a sign that read: “The buck stops here”. The quote is often associated with former US President Harry S. Truman. “I don’t know how (Biden) knew I like that statement,” said Yoon, placing the sign in the middle of his desk.

Throughout his campaign, Yoon has emphasized the importance of South Korea’s close security alliance with the United States — an effort that was on full display after his meeting with Biden, when the U.S. president praised their relationship for achieving “new levels”.

After the meeting, the two leaders announced in a joint statement that they had begun discussions on restarting and potentially expanding joint military exercises that had been halted under Biden’s predecessor — a step that is likely to draw North Korea’s fury.

On Monday, Yoon claimed that the move is purely defensive. Regular military training is “the basic duty of all military personnel in the world to maintain their readiness,” he said.

He added that in the event of an attack, the US would provide assistance, including missile defense and its “nuclear umbrella”, the promise of protection from a nuclear-armed state to a non-nuclear ally.

However, he ruled out the possibility of “reinstalling tactical nuclear weapons on the [coreana]”.

But South Korea could see its partnership with the US and other regional players expand in other ways.

Yoon said it was in South Korea’s “national interest” to join Biden’s Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, a newly unveiled economic plan for like-minded democracies in the region that is widely seen as a counterpoint to China’s influence.

He added that South Korea is also considering joining various working groups from the “Quad” alliance, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue – an informal group formed by the US, Australia, India and Japan – to collaborate on areas such as vaccines, climate and emerging technology. However, he did not go so far as to say that the South would seek official membership in the Quad, but that it was something they would “continue to consider”.

The Quad has become more active in recent years as concerns grow over China’s territorial claims in the region, with all four heads of state scheduled to hold an in-person summit in Tokyo on Tuesday. Beijing condemned the bloc as an anti-China clique, emblematic of a “poisonous” Cold War mentality.

For years, South Korea has tried to balance its alliance with the United States and growing economic ties with China — but Seoul’s relations with Beijing have become strained in recent years.

Throughout his campaign, Yoon adopted a cooler tone than his predecessor towards China, portraying the country as an economic rival.

When asked about the risk of provoking Beijing’s fury by tightening ties with the US, Yoon dismissed the threat of economic retaliation.

“Even if we strengthen our alliances with the United States on security and technology, that doesn’t mean we think our economic cooperation with China is unimportant,” he said. Furthermore, he added, both South Korea and China depend on their mutual cooperation — “so I don’t think it’s reasonable for China to be overly sensitive on this matter.”