Former Foreign Minister Han Seung-ju is interviewing the JoongAng Ilbo at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies on the 27th. Former Minister Han is an emeritus professor at Korea University and the chairman of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. Reporter Kim Kyung-rok
“Is there diplomacy in Korea?”
Han Seung-ju (81), former foreign minister, is the topic of the current issue in Korea. It is also the title of a book he published on the 28th, an elder of Korean diplomacy. This is the title he gave himself. In an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo on the 27th, former Minister Han said, “Currently, Korean diplomacy resembles the’three no diplomacy’ of the days of former President Donald Trump.” I did it.” “I thought it was the last book in my life and I wrote it,” he said.
Interview with former Minister Han Seung-ju, criticism
“Biden will not have a free North American talk”
“The Moon Jae-in government, the more urgent you have to go back”
“Three Mu Diplomacy” was taken from a contribution by U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blincoln to the New York Times (NYT) on January 28, 2019. At that time, Blincoln criticized “There are no people, procedures, or policies in Trump’s diplomacy.” Former Minister Han said, “The same is true of Korea,” he pointed out that “there is no people, procedures, and policies in Korean diplomacy, but there is a code, so it is’three no one.” He said, “It is important to look ahead several times in diplomacy for the national interest, but in our diplomacy, emotions or (domestic) politics are ahead, so we cannot see the next capital.” “Because of the priority goal of improving relations with North Korea, it is another major policy and lack of strategic thinking It is not that it is,” he pointed out.
Former Minister Han believes that the call between President Moon Jae-in and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 27th is also regrettable. Prior to talking with the new President Joe Biden of the US ally, it could give the wrong signal by making a call with a Chinese leader who is tense with the US. “Symbolism is the key in diplomacy,” he said. “A question arises whether we had to make a call with President Xi first,” he pointed out. “A normal and savvy government would not have done that.” He said, “If it doesn’t mean much, it might have been because I couldn’t think of it, but if I did it with intention, it’s a bigger problem.”
In 2013, then Vice President Biden visited China and shake hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Reuters = Yonhap News
Former Minister Han’s criticism was not limited to the current government. He did not hide criticism of the past government. He pointed out that former President Lee Myung-bak’s surprise visit to Dokdo at the end of his term of office and an apology to the Japanese emperor in connection with his visit to Korea were prerequisites.
The following are the main questions and answers.
- Any advice on Korea-US relations strategy in the Biden era?
- “Former President Trump did not understand that the ROK-US alliance was a necessary and advantageous alliance for both countries. Biden’s government is different. From Secretary of State Blincoln to White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, they all know Korea well and have extensive experience dealing with issues on the Korean Peninsula. A good opportunity came to the healthy development of the US-Korea relationship. However, if Korea focuses on inter-Korean relations and neglects US-ROK relations, it may be more wishful. At the end of the term, we understand the urgency, but we must not forget the problems that arise when expressing impatience as it is. You have to keep in mind,’The more you hurry, the more you go back.’”
![US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shake hands at Panmunjom on the afternoon of June 30, 2019. President Moon Jae-in is looking at this. [연합뉴스]](https://i0.wp.com/pds.joins.com/news/component/htmlphoto_mmdata/202101/28/f049aa99-f70a-4abe-932c-10772b967195.jpg?w=560&ssl=1)
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shake hands at Panmunjom on the afternoon of June 30, 2019. President Moon Jae-in is looking at this. [연합뉴스]
- If you advise the former head of the Blue House National Security Office, Jeong Eui-yong, who will be the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- “I was the director of the minister when I was a minister, and I have a lot of experience and knowledge. I look forward to completing diplomacy at the end of the term. Although my experience at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is focused on commerce, I think it will change in the future as I have a lot of experience.
- The evaluation of Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa.
- “As with all ministries, the presence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in particular depends on how much discretion the Blue House, or President, gives first, and secondly, how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs itself does it. I was very lucky in that respect. I don’t have much experience in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but President Kim Young-sam gave me strength. In the case of Minister Kang, I think there were disadvantages in both factors. (Because he is fluent in English) Communication with foreign countries was excellent, but in the environment where Minister Kang is facing, it would have been difficult to reveal his presence no matter who ministered. For President Moon Jae-in, there must have been a comfortable part in that Minister Kang did not claim existence.”
![The cover of a book published by Former Minister Han Seung-ju. [올림 출판사 제공]](https://i0.wp.com/pds.joins.com/news/component/htmlphoto_mmdata/202101/28/32b2e051-1abd-4098-b45b-ad04db23c783.jpg?w=560&ssl=1)
The cover of a book published by Former Minister Han Seung-ju. [올림 출판사 제공]
- President Moon mentioned at a New Year’s press conference on the 18th that he should “start again with the Singapore (North America) Declaration (from the days of former President Trump).”
- “President Biden will not go ahead with the same insignificant North Korea-US talks as former President Trump. If it meant a Trump-style summit meeting to succeed Singapore, it could be said that it was only a non-realistic message. If (Biden’s government) talks with North Korea, there is a high possibility of multilateral talks centered on working-level talks (such as denuclearization).”
![A tweet posted by Secretary of State Blincoln after tasting soft tofu during his visit to Korea in 2016. [트위터 캡처]](https://i0.wp.com/pds.joins.com/news/component/htmlphoto_mmdata/202101/28/b29350a2-68f0-4739-b243-92afc01aae0b.jpg?w=560&ssl=1)
A tweet posted by Secretary of State Blincoln after tasting soft tofu during his visit to Korea in 2016. [트위터 캡처]
- What is the evaluation of the current government’s “Korean Peninsula driver theory”?
- “North Korea is highly likely to focus on maintaining the status quo for the time being due to the current pandemic, economic collapse, and international sanctions. In the first place, the name of Korean’driver theory’ was not appropriate. However, I would like to emphasize the importance of the role of diplomacy in the future situation on the Korean Peninsula.”
- Can a breakthrough in Korea-Japan relations be found?
- “The will and ability of the leaders of both countries are the most important factors in Korea-Japan relations. It will not be enough because the Korean president has not had much time left in office, but Japan is also beginning to start anew in a sense with the change of prime ministers. Leaders of both countries should be able to achieve great results over small obstacles from a national standpoint.”
Regarding the publication of the book, former Minister Han said, “It is a work that has been accumulated over a long period of time thinking about’what is diplomacy’.” It’s also work,” he said. Former Minister Han’s book has a strong character from the definition of diplomacy to the climax of Korean diplomacy. Former Minister Han said, “I wrote a book with the desire to help find a path for practical diplomacy for the national interest.”
Reporter Jeon Sujin [email protected]