No longer one-sided beneficiary of alliance with US: South Korean National Security Advisor

Trump’s focus on allies’ security aligns with our foreign policy vision: South Korean FM

SEOUL — South Korean National Security Advisor Shin Won-sik said on Tuesday that the country is no longer a “one-sided beneficiary” of the bilateral alliance with the United States, vowing to work with the incoming US administration for the denuclearisation of North Korea.

Shin made the remark during a keynote speech at the 2024 Global Dialogue on Korean Peninsula Unification, co-hosted by the National Unification Advisory Council and Yonhap News Agency.

“South Korea is no longer a one-sided beneficiary of the South Korea-US alliance,” Shin said. “As a partner with capabilities to contribute to regional and global security and prosperity, South Korea will continue to protect its core interests.”

Shin said South Korea will seek to maintain a strong security posture through the integrated nuclear deterrence system in close coordination with the new US administration under Donald Trump to counter North Korea’s nuclear threats.

“The government will establish a close cooperation framework with the next US administration to firmly safeguard freedom and peace in South Korea, and we will uphold the goal of complete denuclearisation of North Korea,” he said.

The top security official criticised North Korea’s strengthening military cooperation with Russia through a “comprehensive strategic partnership” treaty, calling it Pyongyang’s “worst gamble.”

According to North Korean state media, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed the treaty, which includes a mutual assistance clause committing both nations to provide military support if either comes under attack.

He cautioned against North Korea’s receiving sensitive military technologies from Russia in return for its troop deployment in support of the war in Ukraine and gaining modern combat experience.

Shin warned of the security risks should North Korea receive sensitive military technology from Russia in exchange for troop support in the Ukraine conflict, which would also allow North Korean forces to gain modern combat experience.

“The war between Russia and Ukraine is not a distant conflict but a critical issue for South Korea,” he said.

Trump’s focus on allies’ security aligns with our foreign policy vision: South Korean FM

The foreign policy focus of the incoming US administration of President-elect Donald Trump “aligns closely” with South Korea’s vision of taking responsibility as a leading country, Seoul’s top diplomat said on Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul made the remark as Seoul is preparing to face the second Trump term following his election win last week, amid a slew of security and economic challenges lying ahead, including North Korea’s troop deployment to Russia in support of the war against Ukraine, reports Yonhap news agency.

“President-elect Trump’s policy direction emphasises the importance of allies contributing to security,” Cho said in a press conference in Seoul. “This aligns closely with our vision of Korea as a global pivotal state, fulfilling responsibilities that meet our national power and status.”

Cho said that South Korea and the United States have institutionalised multilateral cooperation with countries like Japan, calling it one of the favourable external conditions that have been created to bolster alliances.

“I am confident that the South Korea-US alliance will remain strong and continue to strengthen under a second Trump administration,” he said.

Cho also noted that the first Trump administration was the first such US government that advance the Indo-Pacific strategy, a vision that also aligns with the diplomacy under the Yoon Suk Yeol government.

“The vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific order and strong alliances emphasised through this strategy aligns considerably with the Yoon government’s diplomatic stance,” he added.

“Our ministry intends to build on these shared policies to enhance cooperation through close policy coordination with a second Trump administration,” Cho said.