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| ▲ Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs at the time of his visit to Korea in January 2013. Kurt Campbell was appointed as the White House NSC Indo-Pacific Coordinator as of 2021. | |
| Ⓒ The Incoming Committee photo reporters |
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U.S. President-elect Joe Biden recently created an Indo-Pacific Coordinator at the White House National Security Council (NSC) and appointed Kurt Campbell, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs. The White House NSC Indo-Pacific Coordinator, dubbed the’Asia Tsar’, is responsible for overseeing the overall Asian strategy, including US public diplomacy. This highlights the diplomatic goals of the Biden administration, which declared pressure on China and strengthening alliances in Asia.
Former Assistant Secretary of State Campbell is a leading Asian expert in the Democratic Party’s government, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Asia and the Pacific in the Bill Clinton Administration and Assistant Secretary of State for the Barack Obama Administration. It has a strong influence as he has long worked with the highest ranks of the Biden administration’s foreign affairs team, including the nominee of Secretary of State Tony Blincoln, the nominee of White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and the nominee of Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman. Just seeing the expression’tsar’, which means emperor in Russian, is attached to him.
‘Popular hardline’ Campbell seems to pressure Korea to choose
Former Assistant Secretary Campbell is famous for designing the Obama administration’s Asian rebalancing policy, Pivot to Asia. A 2016 book that released it <피벗>He argued that in order for the US to check China, it must strengthen its alliance with Japan and Korea and build close relations with India.
He is a’public hardline’ who views China as a key competitor to the United States. May 2018 Diplomatic Journal <디 디플로맷>In an interview with, “The US’ efforts to change China in the direction of democratization and globalization have failed.”
The most recent last 12 days <포린어페어스>In his article, “How the US Can Strengthen Asian Order,” he said, “The US needs to build a flexible and innovative alliance to confront China’s rise.” “China is spending more military expenditures than all other Indo-Pacific countries combined,” he said. “In order to respond to China’s threats, we should not only increase the US military power, but also support the strengthening of our allies.”
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| ▲ Kurt Campbell’s article in the US diplomatic journal was captured. | |
| Ⓒ Foreign Affairs |
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In addition, the’Ten Democratic Countries’ (D10), an alliance of seven major countries (G7), plus Korea, Australia, and India, and the’Quad’, an informal alliance formed by four countries including the United States, Japan, Australia and India to check China. He emphasized that (QUAD) should be specified.
For this reason, it is analyzed that the selection of former Vice Minister Campbell is purely for’checking China’. There is also a prospect that his Asian policy will focus more on expanding alliances with Southeast Asian countries rather than strengthening alliances with Northeast Asia.
This is why India, who wants to strengthen relations with the US due to the intensifying border conflict with China, welcomes former Assistant Secretary Campbell. “The appointment of former Assistant Secretary of State Campbell relieved the Biden administration’s doubts about public diplomacy,” said Indian diplomatic expert Druba Jaishankar.
South Korea and Japan also relieved the big worry of pressure from the US to raise defense costs. Campbell has pointed out that President Trump has deteriorated relations with major allies, such as Korea and Japan, with the withdrawal of US troops or an increase in defense share.
However, if there is a benefit, there are also drawbacks. The efforts of the United States to include South Korea on the popular hardline route are likely to grow even stronger as the Biden administration enters. It is now possible to predict the situation in which Korea has to choose either side between the fight for supremacy between the United States and China.
In addition, it should be noted that if the United States, who wants to cooperate with the United States, seeks more active pressure and arbitration even in the worst crisis of Korea-Japan relations due to forced conscription and compensation for comfort women, the possibility of a settlement in a direction we do not want.
Praise the US-North Korea summit… Will there be a’new version’ of North Korea policy?
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| ▲ Panmunjom on June 30, 2019. From left, US President Donald Trump, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. | |
| Ⓒ Yonhap News |
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Biden’s appointment as former Vice Minister Campbell has even come up with the prospect of a declaration of war against China, and they are expected to have a great influence on the complicated North Korean nuclear issue.
In an interview with the US think tank Atlantic Council last month, former Assistant Secretary Campbell argued that “the Biden administration must quickly decide on its approach to North Korea,” and “it must not follow the mistakes of the Obama administration, which North Korea has repeatedly provocated.” . Even if the North Korean nuclear issue is postponed as there are many urgent issues at the beginning of the regime, such as responding to Corona 19 and the restoration of Iran’s nuclear agreement, even if the North Korean nuclear issue is postponed, it is necessary to give a clear signal on how the Biden government will solve its policy toward North Korea before North Korea proceeds to armed provocation.
In addition, former Vice Minister Campbell praised President Trump’s determination to realize the unprecedented U.S.-North Korea summit without success or failure. He said in an interview with the International Institute for Strategic Studies (CSIS) in October 2019, “I was impressed by President Trump’s efforts to communicate directly with the North Korean leadership.”
President Trump wasn’t afraid of offensive by Democrats and Republicans over talks with North Korea. I don’t think North Korea will give up its nuclear weapons. That is why President Trump is unlikely to achieve the desired results.
But, on the one hand, it’s a good thing that you don’t have to worry about North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests (while talking to the US). If you can stop North Korea’s madness, what President Trump does is not a reckless gamble.
It can be interpreted as meaning that the Biden administration should be more active in solving the North Korean nuclear issue than in Obama’s days. There is also the possibility of a more flexible approach to sanctions on North Korea than before to bring North Korea to the dialogue table. In that case, it could be helpful for the Moon Jae-in regime, which values dialogue with North Korea and humanitarian aid, to promote the peace process on the Korean Peninsula.
When Campbell met with the Democratic Party TF delegation on the Korean Peninsula who visited the United States in November 2020, he said, “It’s a good idea to send a message to North Korea’s patience through humanitarian aid, and the Biden administration is likely to put it into action.”
However, some warned against premature expectations, saying, “It has not yet been revealed what the former Assistant Secretary Campbell will do in the Biden administration in detail,” and “The expression’Asian Tsar’ was also created by the media.”
What is clear is that the appearance of former Assistant Secretary Campbell as Korea is an opportunity and a crisis in many ways. Can Korea, which is dependent on the US for security and China for its economy, and maintains a narrow’strategic ambiguity’ between the two major powers, can use it as an opportunity.