South Korea’s New Foreign Policy Roadmap

The Yoon administration has refocused foreign and security policy by strengthening the country’s own defence forces and its security alliance with the US as well as improving ties with Japan and China. [...] The impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war have influenced the new government to adopt stronger policy measures on national security and defence on top of strengthening existing alliances and tightening security ties with Europe. [...] What the new government has yet to expand on is its approach to ASEAN, which was one of the main diplomatic highlights of the previous government. [...] It would be beneficial for the new government to build on the New Southern Policy Plus which has already laid strong foundations for the incoming administration to further strengthen solidarity with ASEAN and other developing countries. [...] The new administration also wants to use its popular “soft power” that embodies the so- called “K-culture” that covers the whole gamut of modern living ranging from food and music to fashion and nail polish.