Lee stresses national interests while reaffirming South Korea's U.S. alliance
In short
President Lee Jae-myung said South Korea should protect its national interests and avoid submissive attitudes in foreign relations. At an October 13 cabinet meeting, he called the U.S. alliance important while also stressing relations with neighboring powers.
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South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said on October 13 that diplomacy should protect the country's national interests and avoid submissive attitudes in relations with other states. Speaking at a cabinet meeting at the Blue House, he described South Korea as an independent sovereign country and said its foreign policy was based on pragmatic pursuit of national interests. [ 1 , 9 , 10 ]
Lee reaffirmed the importance of the South Korea-U.S. alliance, describing it as a pillar of diplomacy that should continue to be strengthened. He said managing relations with neighboring powers remained important as well. Countries pursue their own interests, he said, so their positions cannot always coincide, and differences must be addressed through continuing discussion and adjustment. [ 1 , 9 , 10 ]
The president said disagreements should be minimized and kept within manageable limits, while their existence should not itself be treated as a problem. He urged efforts to resolve differences through compromise and warned that South Korea's interests could be sacrificed in competition between countries if disagreements were handled poorly. [ 1 , 9 , 20 ]
Lee also praised officials involved in foreign negotiations. He said South Korea had conducted the longest negotiations among countries identified for strategic investment and had reached the conclusion most consistent with its national interests. He said the United States had described South Korean negotiators as very tough, treating that as both a complaint and a compliment. [ 1 , 9 , 20 ]
The remarks came amid political debate over strains between the two countries' intelligence authorities, Newsis reported. Chosun Ilbo said South Korea's ambassador to the United States had identified limits on information sharing as a major diplomatic difficulty during a parliamentary inspection in Washington the previous day. Hankook Ilbo interpreted Lee's comments as a rebuttal to concerns about discord in the alliance. [ 6 , 14 , 26 ]
Why it matters
The remarks came amid political debate over strains in South Korea's relationship with the United States. Lee said differences between countries should be minimized and managed through discussion and compromise.
Key facts
- Lee called for pragmatic diplomacy centered on South Korea's national interests. [ 1 , 9 , 10 , 20 ]
- He described the U.S. alliance as an important pillar of diplomacy that should continue to be strengthened. [ 1 , 9 , 10 , 20 ]
- He said relations with neighboring powers also remain important. [ 1 , 9 , 10 , 20 ]
- He said disagreements between countries are inevitable and should be kept within manageable limits. [ 1 , 9 , 10 , 20 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- No open questions in the coverage so far.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- On October 13, Yonhap reported Lee's call for national-interest diplomacy and his remarks on disagreements between countries. [ 18 ]