In an effort to promote policy stability in the US ally, particularly in its complex relationship with Japan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is holding discussions in crisis-torn South Korea on Monday.
On the day when an arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol expires, Blinken will begin what is likely to be his final tour as the top US diplomat.
Blinken spoke with Choi Sang-mok, the acting president, prior to that meeting. In addition to acting as finance minister and prime minister, Choi has only been in office for a little more than a week.
Even before morning, Blinken’s hotel on a hilltop could be heard roaring protests as thousands gathered in the frigid capital to support or oppose the conservative president.
Yoon, until recently a darling of President Joe Biden’s administration for his pro-US policies on the international stage, stunned South Korea by briefly imposing martial law on December 3.
Yoon quickly backed down when faced with street protests and quick action by the opposition-dominated parliament but the crisis was far from over, with lawmakers also impeaching his acting successor.
After a six-hour confrontation with Yoon’s security agency, investigators’ attempt to arrest him failed on Friday.
Blinken will speak with Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, who is not facing impeachment, at a joint news conference instead of meeting Yoon.
It is anticipated that Blinken will prioritize policy continuity over taking sides in the sharply divided nation.
By attempting to end decades of hostility with Japan, a fellow US ally that now hosts thousands of US soldiers, Yoon delighted the US.
Yoon joined Biden and Japan’s then prime minister Fumio Kishida in 2023 for a landmark three-way summit that included a promise to step up intelligence cooperation on the key challenge of North Korea.
Because of Japan’s violent colonial occupation of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945, the progressive opposition in South Korea, which has made Yoon’s life unpleasant in parliament and has grown more powerful since the president’s power grab, has traditionally taken a tougher stance against Japan.
In contrast to the hawkish Yoon, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who is facing disqualification from the election due to a legal matter, supports greater diplomatic contact with North Korea.
In response to North Korea sending troops to fight alongside Russia in its invasion, South Korea had previously considered arming Ukraine, violating a taboo.
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