Eyes are on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s upcoming series of diplomatic engagements, with some suggesting the coming weeks could impact his still-low popularity at home, which has improved somewhat since summits with the leaders of Japan and the US.

The five-day Realmeter poll conducted from May 8 to Friday last week found that 36.8 percent of Koreans approve of Yoon’s job performance a steady rise from three weeks ago, when the figure stood at 32.6 percent in the same weekly poll.

In the last week of April, Yoon announced a nuclear accord with US President Joe Biden, the single biggest diplomatic gain so far for the Korean leader who took office in May last year. The deal, an upgrade to the allies’ current defense treaty, gives Seoul a bigger say in Washington’s potential nuclear response to North Korea, Seoul’s biggest threat.

Last week, Yoon and his Japanese counterpart shook hands on deeper ties chiefly to contain the North, vowing to put behind them a historical dispute that had long thwarted such cooperation. Yoon and Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida agreed to revive their regular visits to each other’s countries, known as “shuttle diplomacy,” after a 12-year hiatus.

Yoon, Biden and Kishida, representing a coalition working on North Korea’s denuclearisation, are expected to meet again Sunday the last day of a three-day G-7 meeting that starts Friday.

The three-way meeting on the sidelines of the gathering Japan is hosting in Hiroshima to discuss global priorities comes at a time when Seoul is doubling down on its push for bigger checks on Pyongyang as it defies international sanctions over its nuclear and missile programmes.

“The three leaders will review coordinating responses and efforts dealing with the common nuclear and missile threats from North Korea,” Kim Tae-hyo, Yoon’s first deputy national security adviser, said at a briefing Sunday.

The three partners, however, are unlikely to issue a joint statement addressing the establishment of a “consultative group” exclusively responsible for supporting joint anti-North Korea measures, according to a senior official at Yoon’s office, who was referring to mounting speculation over a body many see as evidence of ever closer three-way ties.

During the trip to Japan, Yoon, who is scheduled to address the seven leaders at an extended G-7 meeting, will also pay respects to Korean atomic bomb victims at a memorial in Hiroshima, according to Kim, who stressed it will be the first time for a Korean leader to do so.

It will also be the first time Yoon and Kishida will jointly pay respects to the Korean victims, Kim added. The two leaders agreed on the plan at Kishida’s trip to Seoul from May 7-8 a tour that followed Yoon’s visit to Tokyo from March 16-17.

Experts say Yoon’s participation offers a “rare opportunity for the country to discuss living up to its enhanced status in the international community.”

“South Koreans have always sought a place in the ever-changing world and they are closer than ever to almost grabbing one right now,” said Choi Eun-mi, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.

Seoul, Choi added, should openly debate “what kind of responsibilities it could really shoulder before taking for granted a new seat in the world.” Such discussion should take place without disruptions in the years to come as the country elects new leaders.

Meanwhile, Yoon is looking to enhance Korea’s ties with Europe.

The president will hold talks with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday to mark 60 years of relations. Next week, Yoon will meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20230515000635

Category: Korea