https://www.scmp.com/rss/322057/feed Lee Seong-hyon, PhD, is director of the Centre for Chinese Studies at Sejong Institute in Seoul. Formerly, he was director of Department of Unification Studies at Sejong. He is a graduate from Grinnell College, Harvard University, and Tsinghua University. He was Pantech Fellow of Stanford University. Currently he is also senior fellow (nonresident) at the Centre for Korean Peninsula Studies at Peking University. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has introduced a profound shift in the country’s foreign policy, aligning it more closely with the United States. Yet this bold strategic redirection has not necessarily translated to an uptick in his domestic approval ratings. Yoon – devoid of a foreign policy background – took office in 2022. Conventional wisdom suggested he would hone-in on domestic matters. Surprisingly, he charted a foreign policy course markedly different from South Korea’s immediate... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3236305/south-koreas-yoon-needs-convince-voters-choosing-us-over-china-wont-hurt-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3236305/south-koreas-yoon-needs-convince-voters-choosing-us-over-china-wont-hurt-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Oct 2023 02:30:10 +0000 In countering China, the Biden administration must demonstrate that the US can deal with China from a position of strength, so America’s friends feel safe enough to entrust their security to the alliance. Currently, there are deep anxieties about the US’ capability. President Joe Biden’s first foreign policy speech after his inauguration was on strengthening alliances to counter China. He underscored the importance of restoring American credibility and leadership. But what counts is how he goes... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3122784/us-china-relations-whos-alpha-male-americas-friends-and-allies-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3122784/us-china-relations-whos-alpha-male-americas-friends-and-allies-are?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Feb 2021 01:45:07 +0000 The US-China clash over Hong Kong's national security law is another escalation in the intensifying rivalry between the two titans: the discord over fundamental values and ways of life, not just geopolitical influence. It is increasingly clear that they are locked in a long-term rivalry. And Washington has to decide whether it wants to go it alone or with its allies and partners. The answer, of course, is obvious. But the US needs to reinstate its leadership in the Indo-Pacific theatre. How the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3088770/it-deals-china-rivalry-us-must-show-it-can-still-be-trusted-stand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3088770/it-deals-china-rivalry-us-must-show-it-can-still-be-trusted-stand?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Jun 2020 02:30:11 +0000 After Donald Trump walked out of their summit in Vietnam, Kim Jong-un will face a formidable challenge, as he will return home empty-handed. The nuclear talks will face an even more treacherous outlook from now on at the working level, as it is obvious that even negotiations at the top level did not yield anything. Although Trump left the door open for future possible meetings with Kim, a lot also depends on how Kim felt about the summit and his self-esteem. He lost face in front of the world.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2188239/trump-kim-summit-was-doomed-decades-mistrust?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2188239/trump-kim-summit-was-doomed-decades-mistrust?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Mar 2019 19:01:08 +0000 There is a debate about whether China used the “North Korea card” against Washington in its trade negotiations with the US, capitalising on Kim Jong-un’s visit to Beijing. The two international headline-making events happened simultaneously in Beijing. Interestingly, both Beijing and Washington flatly deny any link. Analysts are divided. It warrants discussion because it offers an important insight into how the two superpowers strategise the North Korea issue in their dealings. Donald Trump has... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2181677/kim-jong-un-beijing-north-korea-bargaining?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2181677/kim-jong-un-beijing-north-korea-bargaining?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Jan 2019 17:00:30 +0000 In a surprisingly laid-back setting that reminds one of Franklin Roosevelt’s “fireside chats” at the White House, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he remains unchanged in his commitment to denuclearisation and is ready to meet Donald Trump “any time”. The palpably conciliatory message came as a great contrast to his words a year ago, when he warned Trump that there was a “nuclear button” at his desk targeting the United States. Kim, looking tense and unyielding at the time, added that he was... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2180275/kim-jong-un-threatens-new-path-if-negotiations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2180275/kim-jong-un-threatens-new-path-if-negotiations?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Jan 2019 19:00:15 +0000 After the inter-Korean summit, there comes the agonizing Shakespearean question: To trust or not to trust Kim Jong-un, that is the question. Given past failures and dashed hopes, it’s rational to maintain healthy skepticism whether Kim, this time, will ever truly denuclearize – even after the heartening optics of the inter-Korea summit. Indeed, suspicion still runs deep among academics and observers in Washington, Seoul and even Beijing.   But the developments in the past few months on the... https://www.scmp.com/politics/lee-seong-hyon-should-world-believe-kim-jong-uns-promise-denuclearization/article/2144020?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/lee-seong-hyon-should-world-believe-kim-jong-uns-promise-denuclearization/article/2144020?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Apr 2018 10:15:15 +0000 China should end its “business as usual” attitude with North Korea, US Secretary of State John Kerry warned foreign minister Wang Yi (王毅). This is another familiar, if not “business as usual”, take on North Korea. Every time North Korea makes international headlines, Washington points a finger at China. This Pavlovian response should stop. On North Korea, the US, not China, should lead. READ MORE: Pyongyang to continue nuclear tests as long as US is ‘continuously invading’ its sovereignty It is... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1902328/when-it-comes-north-korea-us-should-stop-pointing-fingers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1902328/when-it-comes-north-korea-us-should-stop-pointing-fingers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Jan 2016 03:57:55 +0000