Yoon and the Future of Korea-Europe Relations

The inclusion of four Indo-Pacific states demonstrates the NATO alliance’s adaptation to a new security environment three decades since the end of the Cold War. Back in February, Beijing and Moscow announced that their relationship had “no limits,” and China has continued to engage with Russia despite western condemnation of the latter’s invasion of Ukraine. Jacob Stokes, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security says closer Sino-Russian cooperation across a variety of policy areas lowers geography’s barrier to international cooperation. “I think there is a growing recognition that security issues in East Asia and the Indo-Pacific more broadly, are increasingly linked with security in Europe, and indeed across Eurasia,” he said.

A Korea that plays a more active role in international affairs is a goal set by the Yoon administration. In an article published by Foreign Affairs, the then candidate said Korea should become a “global pivotal state” that actively promotes “freedom, peace, and prosperity through liberal democratic values and substantial cooperation.” News coming out of Madrid suggests the Yoon administration is making progress in realizing this vision. A presidential official told the Yonhap News Agency this week that President Yoon is looking to sign a “new cooperation program” with NATO later this year. Previously, Reuters reported that Seoul was talking with NATO about opening up a liaison center in Brussels, according to Korean National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han. The opening of such an office demonstrates that “South Korea wants to embed itself in a broader network of liberal democratic powers,” said Mr. Stokes.

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